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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

• 1.1 How to use this FAQ
• 1.2 Authors

2. Requirements

• 2.1 What are the system requirements for the game? How do they compare to the Windows version?
• 2.2 Does the game use 3D acceleration?
• 2.3 In what environment does the game run? Does it run in X or from the console with SVGALIB?
• 2.4 Can the game be played on all distributions of Linux?
• 2.5 Can I play Civ:CTP on FreeBSD with Linux emulation?
• 2.6 Will you be offering support for PPC and Alpha platforms?
• 2.7 Does the game support Esound?
• 2.8 Can I use my SBLive! card with Civ:CTP?
• 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?
• 2.10 Does the game run from the CD?
• 2.11 Are the Windows and Linux versions save-game compatible? Are my Windows saved games playable on the Linux version, and vice versa?

3. Interoperability

• 3.1 Can I play multiplayer under Linux against users playing Civ:CTP for Windows?
• 3.2 Would it be technically possible to use the Windows Civ:CTP CD and then download the Linux binaries?
• 3.3 Can I do a Play By E-Mail game against a Windows opponent?

4. Demo

• 4.1 Where can I get the Civ:CTP demo version?
• 4.2 What are the system requirements? Any different than the requirements for the full commercial version?
• 4.3 How do I install the demo? Any tricks?
• 4.4 Any known problems with the demo?
• 4.5 Is the demo supported at all?

5. Installation

• 5.1 How do I install the game?
• 5.2 Why won't the install.sh script run?
• 5.3 What's wrong with the symlinks?
• 5.4 Do I have to be logged in as root to install the game?
• 5.5 How do I install custom maps?
• 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?
• 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.
• 5.8 How do I set my path so that it can access the game directory?

6. Updates

• 6.1 Where can I download the update patches?
• 6.2 How do I apply the most recent update?
• 6.3 I have the European version of the game. Why can't I upgrade to 1.1?
• 6.4 Why can't I load my 1.0 save game files after upgrading to 1.1?
• 6.5 Will 1.1 save games be compatible across the three platforms (Alpha, PPC, x86)?
• 6.6 Are you going to release a 1.2 update also?
• 6.7 I upgraded to 1.2, and now the game crashes on startup!
• 6.8 I get parsing errors (ie "command not foundish.sh") when I try to run the update script. Is there a problem with the mirror from which I downloaded the file?
• 6.9 When I run the script, it starts going, and then dies with: "./upgrade: No such file or directory" and give error code 126.

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.
• 7.2 How do I get Civ:CTP to run fullscreen?
• 7.3 How can I get the game to play fullscreen if I'm not logged in as root?
• 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?
• 7.5 Does the game have GNOME or KDE support (adding itself to task bars, etc)?
• 7.6 How can I iconify the game and have it run in the background?
• 7.7 How can I change my screen size?
• 7.8 How can I maximize graphics speed when running the game?

8. Sound

• 8.1 The sound effects work, but why won't the music play from the CD?
• 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?
• 8.3 Why I don't hear any sound?
• 8.4 I have multiple CD-ROMs. How do I tell the game which one to use?
• 8.5 Is there a workaround for the SoundBlaster Live! crashes?
• 8.6 Your system requirements mention that Esound works, but I use KDE. Will the game work with the K sound daemon?

9. Networking

• 9.1 How do I chat in a network game?
• 9.2 How do I play a network/internet game through a Linux Masquerading firewall?
• 9.3 Do the computers have to be on the same subnet to play networked games of Civ:CTP?
• 9.4 Is there a way to tell the game a specific IP address to connect to? How are the connections made?
• 9.5 If I'm blocking UDP traffic, what ports do I need to open up to play Civ:CTP over my LAN?
• 9.6 On a multihomed host, how do I tell the game which interface to use?
• 9.7 Is there a way that I can run my own game server, or do I have to use the established Activision Internet servers?
• 9.8 If I use an internet server to connect two machines that are pretty close together (say on different subnets of the same network), won't that cause a lot of delay?
• 9.9 Can I play a multiplayer game without being on a network?
• 9.10 Does the game support email games?

10. Gameplay

• 10.1 Does the Linux version have a map/scenario editor?
• 10.2 How do I load games from the pre-designed maps available from your site and Activision's web site?
• 10.3 How do I load units onto space planes?
• 10.4 How do I get phantom units to come down out of space?
• 10.5 How do I attack a city that's on a small (one square) island?
• 10.6 Why does the game crash when I try to attack a city with a paratrooper?
• 10.7 Where can I get more game tips?
• 10.8 Are there sites documenting CTP modification?
• 10.9 Are there any sites specifically devoted to CTP for Linux?

11. Miscellaneous

• 11.1 Video Memory Protecting
• 11.2 Civ:CTP 1.2 is crashing immediately on startup.

12. Contact

• 12.1 How do I report a bug?
• 12.2 How can I receive technical support?

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

• 3.1 Can I play multiplayer under Linux against users playing Civ:CTP for Windows?
  
  
  The original Linux and Windows versions of Civilization (version 1.0) are not network compatible. All versions beginning with the first patch (1.1 and greater) are network compatible, provided all network players are using the same version of the game. For example, Linux Civ:CTP 1.1 is network compatible with Windows Civ:CTP 1.1.
  
  
• 3.2 Would it be technically possible to use the Windows Civ:CTP CD and then download the Linux binaries?
  
  
  No, the two versions of the game use slightly different data file layout, and have some data file differences.
  
  
• 3.3 Can I do a Play By E-Mail game against a Windows opponent?
  
  
  Yes. Since the Play By E-Mail features use the save games, and the save game files are compatible, the Intel x86 version of Civ:CTP can participate in a PBEM game with Windows opponents.

  Note: we have received reports of some issues regarding Windows PBEM file compatibility. We are investigating this issue and hope to address it in a future patch.

  
  

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

• 6.1 Where can I download the update patches?
  
  
  The 1.2a patch is available through loki_update (http://updates.lokigames.com/).

  The 1.1, 1.2, PPC, and Alpha installation files are available at http://www.lokigames.com/products/civctp/updates.php3.

  
  
• 6.2 How do I apply the most recent update?
  
  
  The easiest method of installing the updates is to use the Loki Update Tool (available from http://updates.lokigames.com/). This will detect your installation and download the appropriate update patch or patches from one of our mirrors.
  
  
• 6.3 I have the European version of the game. Why can't I upgrade to 1.1?
  
  
  The European version of the game comes patched with the 1.1 update. European users may upgrade directly to 1.2.
  
  
• 6.4 Why can't I load my 1.0 save game files after upgrading to 1.1?
  
  
  Save game format was changed in the 1.1 update, to make all save game files fully compatible with the windows version save games. So finish that game before upgrading, or upgrade before you start!
  
  
• 6.5 Will 1.1 save games be compatible across the three platforms (Alpha, PPC, x86)?
  
  
  Yes, all three will are save game compatible.
  
  
• 6.6 Are you going to release a 1.2 update also?
  
  
  Yes, of course! You'll find 1.2 is available on our updates page.
  
  
• 6.7 I upgraded to 1.2, and now the game crashes on startup!
  
  
  This is a problem with the SDL code to which 1.2 was linked. It doesn't like 32 bit color. We'll have this fixed soon, but in the meanwhile, you can enjoy the features of 1.2 by running your X server in 16 bpp this way:

      startx -- -bpp 16
  

  
  
• 6.8 I get parsing errors (ie "command not foundish.sh") when I try to run the update script. Is there a problem with the mirror from which I downloaded the file?
  
  
  This usually happens when the file is downloaded with improper end-of-line conventions. It's better to download the patches from within a Unix-based ftp utility with file type set to binary than using netscape. If you do have this problem, one possible fix is to open up the file in vi and change the filetype:

      vi [filename.sh]
      :set filetype=unix
      :x
  

  Alternatively, you can re-download the file in binary mode, using a Unix-based ftp utility.
  
  
• 6.9 When I run the script, it starts going, and then dies with: "./upgrade: No such file or directory" and give error code 126.
  
  
  We've seen this error when running the script from within a directory with spaces in its name. Run the script from another directory, and you should be fine.
  
  

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

• 9.1 How do I chat in a network game?
  
  
  Hit the ' key and a chat window appears.
  
  
• 9.2 How do I play a network/internet game through a Linux Masquerading firewall?
  
  
  If you would like to connect to the Civ:CTP Internet servers from behind Linux masquerading, and you have kernel version 2.0.x, you need a kernel patch: ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/mu/mumford/loose-udp-2.0.36.patch.gz This has already been fixed in the Linux 2.2.x kernels. Information on why this is necessary can be found at: http://www.alumni.caltech.edu/~dank/peer-nat.html

  Apply the patch to your 2.0.x kernel and recompile. That should do it! If you DON'T install that patch, Civ:CTP will not be able to play through your IP masqerading host, and it will not exit gracefully -- it will hang in the "Leaving Lobby" phase.

  
  
• 9.3 Do the computers have to be on the same subnet to play networked games of Civ:CTP?
  
  
  No. Any two computers with internet connections can connect via the internet option. To play without outside interruptions, simply password protect your game.
  
  
• 9.4 Is there a way to tell the game a specific IP address to connect to? How are the connections made?
  
  
  The way networking options are designed in Civ:CTP, games played on a local subnet use UDP broadcasts to find other machines, and once another machine running Civ is found, direct UDP packets to that machine. There is no way to tell the game to use a specific IP address, but any two computers can connect via the internet servers.
  
  
• 9.5 If I'm blocking UDP traffic, what ports do I need to open up to play Civ:CTP over my LAN?
  
  
  If you are blocking UDP traffic, you need to open the ports in the range 21100 - 21300 to have it function properly.

  Presumably, if you are able to configure UDP traffic to be blocked, you will be aware of how to open up specific ports. Should you desire more information about firewalling, you may want to visit http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/IPCHAINS-HOWTO.html for instructions on using the ipchains tool.

  
  
• 9.6 On a multihomed host, how do I tell the game which interface to use?
  
  
  Set the environment variable UUDP_HOSTNAME to the IP address of the interface that you want to use:

      export UUDP_HOSTNAME=[IP of desired interface]
  

  
  
• 9.7 Is there a way that I can run my own game server, or do I have to use the established Activision Internet servers?
  
  
  The game servers are closely held by Activision, and only their sites, or sites approved by them, run Civ:CTP game servers.
  
  
• 9.8 If I use an internet server to connect two machines that are pretty close together (say on different subnets of the same network), won't that cause a lot of delay?
  
  
  The internet servers are only used as a forum to set up games. If two machines on the same subnet used an internet server to connect, almost all game traffic would still be going over the local network. The internet server serves the same function as the UDP broadcasts on the LAN: it just helps the machines to find one another.
  
  
• 9.9 Can I play a multiplayer game without being on a network?
  
  
  Yes. Hotseat play (playing multiplayer on the same machine) is available only with the 1.2 patch, so you'll need to upgrade to 1.2 before you can do this. Generally, also, aside from LAN games, you can also play internet games via a PPP internet connection, or email games (see the next question).
  
  
• 9.10 Does the game support email games?
  
  
  As of version 1.2, Civ:CTP does support exchange of game status information via email for multiplayer play. As with hotseat play, you'll need to upgrade to 1.2 first.
  
  

10. Gameplay

• 10.1 Does the Linux version have a map/scenario editor?
  
  
  Activision released a map/scenario editor with their 1.1 patch. This is included in the Linux 1.1 version of Civ:CTP.
  
  
• 10.2 How do I load games from the pre-designed maps available from your site and Activision's web site?
  
  
  Pre-designed maps are available here on our website or from Activision.

  To use these maps, you just need to decompress them (use "gunzip" for the files from our site, "unzip" for the files from Activision), and then make a directory in ~/.civctp/save/games to put them in, and then copy the new files into the new directory. Then you should be able to load them just like a saved game.

  
  
• 10.3 How do I load units onto space planes?
  
  
  To load units onto Space Planes, sleep them in a city or Air Base and have the Space Plane drop by and pick them up. Alternatively, if the Space Plane is already at an Air Base, moving another unit to the Air Base will load that unit onto the Space Plane. This same process will allow you to load Nukes onto Bombers.
  
  
• 10.4 How do I get phantom units to come down out of space?
  
  
  Phantom units are essentially space units, and not designed to come back down out of space once launched.
  
  
• 10.5 How do I attack a city that's on a small (one square) island?
  
  
  Only marine units can do amphibious assaults (directly from a ship to the point of attack). You can bombard the city down with ships or planes, but to actually walk in and take it, you'll need marines (yes, this does mean that these cities are basically invincible early in the game) There was a bug in 1.0 which caused the game to crash on amphibious assaults, so if the game crashes when you try to do this, make sure you get and install the 1.1 (or later) patch.
  
  
• 10.6 Why does the game crash when I try to attack a city with a paratrooper?
  
  
  This is a known bug, and we are working on a fix. In the meanwhile, just drop paratroopers next to the city to attack and have them walk in (or for cities built on small islands, you'll have to use marines to take the city).
  
  
• 10.7 Where can I get more game tips?
  
  
  Have a look at the game tips page for more information about getting the most out of Civilization: Call to Power for Linux.
  
  
• 10.8 Are there sites documenting CTP modification?
  
  
  Yes, there are several. A good starting point is http://apolyton.net/ctp/modification/
  
  
• 10.9 Are there any sites specifically devoted to CTP for Linux?
  
  
  If you can read German, you can visit: http://www.england-seiten.de/civctp/

  If you are aware of other sites, please submit them to us!

  
  

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

• 12.1 How do I report a bug?
  
  
  Please visit our publicly accessible bug database (http://fenris.lokigames.com/) and post a bug report. Be sure to first check the list of known bugs and fixes/patches.
  
  
• 12.2 How can I receive technical support?
  
  
  We support our products by e-mail (preferred) and phone. Phone support is available by calling (714) 508-2140 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time) Monday through Friday, except holidays.