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Civilization: Call to Power FAQ
Last Updated on: 2000-09-16 01:42:14

This is where you will find useful information about Civilization: Call to Power. The following are answers to some frequently asked questions about this game. Please read these before e-mailing Loki Technical Support - Chances are your question is answered here too!

1. Introduction

2. Requirements

3. Interoperability

4. Demo

5. Installation

6. Updates

7. Display

8. Sound

9. Networking

10. Gameplay

11. Miscellaneous

12. Contact






1. Introduction

  • 1.1 How to use this FAQ

    This FAQ allows you to navigate through the answers by category, or individually, or to view the entire FAQ at once. The full view is also suitable for printing.

    This FAQ is modelled on the Linux HOWTO documents for consistency and ease of navigation.


  • 1.2 Authors

    The maintainers of the FAQ can be reached by e-mailing faqs@lokigames.com. Please send all correspondance directly related to the FAQlist tool to that address.

2. Requirements

  • 2.1 What are the system requirements for the game? How do they compare to the Windows version?

    The listed system requirements are the same. That said, we think Linux users will enjoy all the benefits of Linux while running the game. It's not emulated at all, but a fully native Linux application running under X11.

    Minimum system requirements:
    Linux kernel 2.0.x or 2.2.x
    GNU C Libraries (glibc) 2.x
    Pentium 133 MHz
    or PowerPC 133MHz
    4-speed CD-ROM drive
    32 MB RAM
    80 MB swap
    400 MB free disk space
    X Window System
    16-bit color
    Network card (for net play)
    Internet connection (for Internet play)
    OSS compatible sound card (for sound)

  • 2.2 Does the game use 3D acceleration?

    No.

  • 2.3 In what environment does the game run? Does it run in X or from the console with SVGALIB?

    The Linux version ships with support for X11R6.

    The 1.2 patch does include a dynamic version, which allows you to use a different version of SDL (the Simple DirectMedia Layer), including one you compile yourself. As of this writing, SDL includes support for SVGAlib, the frame buffer, and AAlib.

    Use of the dynamic version is not a supported configuration.


  • 2.4 Can the game be played on all distributions of Linux?

    We spent a significant amount of development time ensuring that Civilization: Call to Power works properly with all major distributions.

    The shipping version of Civ:CTP works with all glibc systems. However, networking didn't function correctly on systems which used glibc 2.1, but this has been fixed with the 1.1 patch, which is available on the support page.

    Because the game is designed for glibc, libc5 users may need to upgrade.


  • 2.5 Can I play Civ:CTP on FreeBSD with Linux emulation?

    Civ:CTP is know to work under the latest version of FreeBSD, using Linux emulation.

    Previous answer: This is not an officially supported platform. However, some have made the game work on FreeBSD 3.1, by recompiling the kernel to support Posix extensions.


  • 2.6 Will you be offering support for PPC and Alpha platforms?

    The release CD contains i386 binaries and data files. We have posted to our website the beta binaries for PPC and alpha platforms, which are available on the support page. With the assistance of Terra Soft Solutions, we will release the final version of the PPC binaries. To play Civ:CTP on a Mac, you need to buy the Linux version of the game, and then download and install download the PPC binaries. You will need to use Yellow Dog Champion Server 1.1 or LinuxPPC 5.0.

    The patch supporting the Alpha chip is pre-beta, and does not yet offer networking or scenario support. It has been tested on 2.2.11 and 2.3.18 kernel versions. Kernel version 2.2.12 and versions prior to 2.2.11 have known bugs which cause problems with CivCTP.

    Both the PPC and Alpha update patches should be installed on top of a fresh 1.0 install. For users in Europe (where only the 1.1 version is being distributed), when the 1.2 patch is available, you'll be able to patch to alpha or PPC.

    Save game formats will be compatible among all platform versions.


  • 2.7 Does the game support Esound?

    Version 1.1 has native support for esound. Esddsp (a dynamically loadable object which will redirect /dev/dsp to esound) did not work with 1.0 because it's statically linked. You can get the 1.1 patch on the support page.

  • 2.8 Can I use my SBLive! card with Civ:CTP?

    The problems initially experienced by SBLive! users have apparently been solved in the latest open source drivers from Creative Labs.

  • 2.9 Does the game fully support X-Windows? Would I be able to run the Linux game using an X-term on a Windows machine?

    Some people have been able to do this, but it tends to be slow and requires a very fast network connection between the two machines. It is an unsupported configuration.

  • 2.10 Does the game run from the CD?

    It does not run from CD, and must be installed onto your hard disk.

  • 2.11 Are the Windows and Linux versions save-game compatible? Are my Windows saved games playable on the Linux version, and vice versa?

    The Intel version of Linux Civ:CTP 1.1 is save-game compatible with the Intel version of Civ:CTP. Other architectures will not be save-game compatible. This goes for scenarios as well.

3. Interoperability

4. Demo

  • 4.1 Where can I get the Civ:CTP demo version?

    See the Civ:CTP demo page (http://www.lokigames.com/products/civctp/demo.php3) for a list of mirrors from which to download.

  • 4.2 What are the system requirements? Any different than the requirements for the full commercial version?

    The requirements listed for the full commercial version of the game are the same as those for the demo, except that the demo requires only 200+ MB of hard disk space, as opposed to 400+ for the full commercial version.

    Minimum system requirements:
    Linux kernel 2.0.x or 2.2.x
    GNU C Libraries (glibc) 2.x
    Pentium 133 MHz
    or PowerPC 133MHz
    4-speed CD-ROM drive
    32 MB RAM
    80 MB swap
    200 MB free disk space
    X Window System
    16-bit color
    Network card (for net play)
    Internet connection (for Internet play)
    OSS compatible sound card (for sound)

  • 4.3 How do I install the demo? Any tricks?

    1. Pull down the civctp-demo.tar.gz archive from one of our mirrors
    2. Go to the directory in which you would like to install the demo. Make sure that you have write permissions to the directory. (ex. cd /usr/local/games)
    3. Unpack the archive (ex. if you downloaded the archive into your home directory: tar -xzvf ~/civctp-demo.tar.gz). A new 'civctp_demo' directory should have been created.
    4. To run the game, just go to the new game directory and type './civctp' (or create symbolic links, or add the civctp_demo directory to your path).

  • 4.4 Any known problems with the demo?

    We released a new version of the demo with some bug fixes, so if it's been a long time since you downloaded, you might want to get the new version.

    The version output (civctp -version) should have a build date of October 21, 1999. If it says October 8, you have the old version. The file name for the new version is civctp-demo-10251999.tar.gz.

    There is one file that was left out of the demo archive. This has caused crashes on some systems. A corrected archive will be posted soon, but if you're having problems, download this file and put it in civctp_demo/ctp_data/default/sound/.


  • 4.5 Is the demo supported at all?

    We don't offer telephone or e-mail support for the demo version, but we do want to take care of any problems/bugs that might exist, so we would be grateful if anyone experiencing problems would report those on our bug server/database. And, of course, our on-line resources (including this one) are available on our support page.

5. Installation

  • 5.1 How do I install the game?

    From the README file on the CD:

    1. Mount the CD-ROM using the "mount" command. If you are unsure how this works, please check the documentation for your Linux distribution. Generally, the format for mounting a CD-ROM under Linux is similar to
              mount -t iso9660 -r /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
    2. Under X11, enter the command "sh [Mounted CD-ROM Path]/install". Be sure to replace the [Mounted CD-ROM Path] portion of this command with the correct path for the mounted CD-ROM. In the example above, the command would be
              sh /mnt/cdrom/install.sh
    3. The installer program will display a welcome screen with the options "Install", "Uninstall" and "Exit". Select Install.
    4. The installer will now display a list of mounted volumes on your Linux system. Select a volume with at least 400MB of free hard disk space.
    5. In the provided text box, enter in the path name of the directory where you would like to install the game. If you are unsure, simply leave the default directory unchanged.
    6. You have the option of installing the game videos as well. This option requires an additional 225MB of hard drive space. If you would like to install the videos, simply check the "Install Videos?" box in the installer window. If you don't install the videos, the game will look for a CD-ROM entry in /etc/fstab, see if it is mounted, and play them from that directory.
    7. Once you have made your selections, click "Install" to install the game. The installer will now copy all the necessary files (and the videos if you chose the "Install Videos?" option) to your hard drive.
    8. Once installation is complete, you will be asked if you would like to add the game to your "Path". There is a problem with the way the installer adds links to your "Path", so you should say no to this option. After the installation is complete, you can add the game to your "Path" with a command like this:
              su -c 'ln -s /usr/local/games/CivCTP/civctp /usr/bin/civctp'
      
      Make sure to replace the first pathname in this command with the location of your CivCTP installation, and replace the second pathname with the location that you would like to have the link set up. This location should work on most systems.

      If you don't wish to add the game to your path, it will not affect the operation of the game. Making a "Path" entry allows you to launch the game from within any directory. Without a "Path" entry, you can launch the game by simply entering the complete path name of the game program. For example "/usr/local/games/CivCTP/civctp".

  • 5.2 Why won't the install.sh script run?

    The readme file has an error. The script is named "install" and not "install.sh". Also, as noted in the README, the file is not itself executable, and must be run "sh install".

  • 5.3 What's wrong with the symlinks?

    The install script has an error that tries to create the symlinks in the wrong locations. Say "no" to all symlink prompts (or "no to all"), and then execute the following:
        ln -s /usr/local/games/CivCTP/civctp
        /usr/bin/civctp
    
    substituting the path in which you installed civctp, and a location in your $PATH (binary search path) respectively. (Type "echo $PATH" to find out what those locations are.) If you already had the script make links for you, remove those old links first.

  • 5.4 Do I have to be logged in as root to install the game?

    No, but you do have to have write privileges to /usr/local/games (or wherever you install the game).

  • 5.5 How do I install custom maps?

    The map is essentially a saved game. It should be placed in one of the folders in ~/.civctp/save/games. For detailed information about scenarios and maps, check out the Scenario page on Activision's site.

  • 5.6 When I try to install the PPC patch, it doesn't work. I get a bunch of "file already modified" error messages. What's wrong?

    The game files cannot be patched twice (if you have version 1.1, you can't "re-patch" the binaries), and the PPC patch that you're trying to install is probably a 1.1 patch. If you have already applied the 1.1 patch, therefore, you will need to apply the "1.1 to PPC" patch. Also, for European users, the game is being destributed already patched with 1.1. Therefore, our European users will need to apply the appropriate patch to go from x86 1.1 to PPC 1.2 (see the update page for details).

  • 5.7 After I install the game, it won't start, and gives me a "Segmentation Fault" error. I can't run the game at all.

    Chances are, you're running a Soundblaster Live! card with the beta drivers from Creative Labs. Either update the drivers to the current release, or try this workaround.

  • 5.8 How do I set my path so that it can access the game directory?

    export PATH=$PATH:[installation directory] (replacing [installation directory] with the actual path to the installation, of course)

6. Updates

7. Display

  • 7.1 With the 1.2 patch, CivCTP has focus and is the active window at all times. As far as I can see, there is no way to take focus away from CivCTP now.

    CivCTP now defaults to fullscreen mode. You can use the "--windowed" command line option to start the game in windowed mode, and you can use ALT-Enter to toggle between windowed and fullscreen mode.

  • 7.2 How do I get Civ:CTP to run fullscreen?

    Civ:CTP can run full screen using XFree86's DGA extensions. To enable this feature, type (when logged in or su'd as root) "export CIV_FULLSCREEN=1". Then when running the game as root, the game will use the full screen. To go back to windowed mode, just set the variable back to 0, using the same command as above for bash users.

    NOTE: As of version 1.2, CivCTP can run fullscreen without the DGA extensions, and you don't have to be logged in as root, just use the "--fullscreen" command-line switch.


  • 7.3 How can I get the game to play fullscreen if I'm not logged in as root?

    As of version 1.2, you don't have to be logged in as root, you can just use the --fullscreen command-line switch to run in fullscreen. Previous versions of the game use the DGA extensions to switch to fullscreen. To allow non-root access to this, you need to put yourself in a trusted group and give the group access to /dev/mem.

    NOTE: This is a security risk and should not be used on machines where security is important.


  • 7.4 When I try to scroll with the mouse, I have to position it right at the edge of the screen or it won't work. Is this a window manager problem? Anything I can do?

    Pressing "Caps Lock" (version 1.0, 1.1) will lock the mouse into the game window, which should eliminate this problem. Press it again to use the mouse freely outside the game.

    NOTE: As of version 1.2, pressing "Ctrl-G" locks the mouse, matching the style of other Loki games.

    Also, with a three button mouse, pressing the middle button and dragging will scroll the screen around.


  • 7.5 Does the game have GNOME or KDE support (adding itself to task bars, etc)?

    It doesn't have special GNOME/KDE support, but works as any other X11 application under those environments. If you are having trouble with the taskbar in your window manager, you can change the CivCTP window size by going to the game options menu and selecting the screen size menu in the graphics options, or run the game fullscreen.

  • 7.6 How can I iconify the game and have it run in the background?

    Typing CNTL-z or hitting the Pause key iconifies the game. When the game is iconified, it is paused and uses very little CPU time.

  • 7.7 How can I change my screen size?

    Currently the game is only supported in the X11 environment. By default, the program will run fullscreen. If you wish to change the screensize, access the Options menu (hit ESC from the game screen), click on the Graphics button, then access the Screen Size submenu. Choose a resolution (smaller resolution for a smaller screen), then restart the game for the change to take effect.

  • 7.8 How can I maximize graphics speed when running the game?

    There are a couple of tricks that will speed things up for you:

    • X should be run in 16-bit color for those who wish to speed up graphics. Using 24- or 32-bit color forces X to convert 16-bit images to 32-bit before it displays them -- a severe penalty for MHz challenged machines. You can make sure you're running in 16-bit color by starting x with "startx -- -bpp 16".
    • Run it without a window manager or desktop environment (if you aren't already). Basically replace what is in your .xinitrc with this one line: /usr/local/games/CivCTP/civctp (or whatever path you put civctp in). You might want to back up your old .xinitrc just in case.
    • Later on in the game it helps a lot to turn off trade and unit animations. Running the game in full screen mode (only possible on Xfree86) will reduce cpu usage by few percent.

8. Sound

  • 8.1 The sound effects work, but why won't the music play from the CD?

    You need read permissions for the CD-ROM drive. Usually this is /dev/hdc, but it may be different on your machine. If you aren't sure, look at the link for /dev/cdrom (ls -l /dev/cdrom). Then run the command chmod o+r /dev/hdc (using your device for /dev/hdc). Also, make sure that your cdrom device is listed in /etc/fstab as an iso9660 device. You should see a line something like this when you "cat /etc/fstab":
        /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom iso9660 user,ro 0 0
    

  • 8.2 If I have a music CD in when I start the game, the music CD will start to play. If I pull up a CD player app and stop it, it keeps restarting. How do I stop this?

    You need to turn off music from within the game -- this can be done from the Options menu. Also, if you don't want the game accessing your CD-ROM, you can use the command line option -nocdrom, or set an environment variable "CIV_NOCD" before running your game.

    bash shell syntax: export CIV_NOCD=1; civctp
    Csh shell syntax: setenv CIV_NOCD 1; civctp


  • 8.3 Why I don't hear any sound?

    First be sure that you have sound support compiled into your kernel and that you have installed an OSS supported sound card. Next, make sure that you have read/write permissions to /dev/dsp (chmod a+rw /dev/dsp). If sound still doesn't work, contact your Linux distributor for more assistance. Once sound is properly installed on your system Civ:CTP will use it automatically. There is no need to do any sound configuration within the game itself.

  • 8.4 I have multiple CD-ROMs. How do I tell the game which one to use?

    You can set the evironment variable SDL_CDROM to the full pathname of the CD device you want the game to use. ("export SDL_CDROM=/dev/hdc", for example)

  • 8.5 Is there a workaround for the SoundBlaster Live! crashes?

    The game should work just fine with the most recent drivers from Creative's open source page.

    Here's the old workaround for historical value:

    Many thanks to Wintermute for finding the solution:

    1. Obtain and install Esound (The Enlightened Sound Daemon)
    2. Make sure that only ONE of the /dev/dspX devices is writable by your user profile (otherwise the game will attempt to scan the rest during startup to find a free device other than the one that Esound will be using and this will cause the game to again crash out.)
    3. Run Esound with the following command line:
      esd -d /dev/dsp -tcp -port 5001 &
    4. If you hear several tones as esd loads you're ready to go. Now simply run "civctp" at the command line and finally enjoy the glory of Civ:CTP with sound!

  • 8.6 Your system requirements mention that Esound works, but I use KDE. Will the game work with the K sound daemon?

    CivCTP doesn't wrap sound through Ksound like it will for Esound. Therefore, if you have a sound event set up when the game starts, the KDE sound daemon grabs the sound device, and CivCTP assumes that it's being used. Turning this sound event off should solve the problem.

9. Networking

10. Gameplay

11. Miscellaneous

  • 11.1 Video Memory Protecting

    This isn't really an error. The X Direct Graphics Access drivers are just verbose about resetting the graphics modes, which it does just to be safe even if they haven't changed.

    NOTE: Since the 1.2 patch no longer requires DGA to run full-screen, this message should not be displayed after the patch has been applied.


  • 11.2 Civ:CTP 1.2 is crashing immediately on startup.

    Please try starting your X server in 16bpp mode ('startx -- -bpp 16'), and see if this clears up the problem prior to reporting it to support. We are aware of the issue, and it is being worked on.

    If this does not correct the issue and you are running Mandrake 7.0, please check your kernel settings. It appears that Civ CTP 1.1 and 1.2 conflict with the secure-kernel option. You can change the kernel at startup by typing linux-up at the LILO prompt.


12. Contact

Support inquries should be addressed to support@lokigames.com.
FAQ's maintained by faqs@lokigames.com.

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