Sid Meier's Civilization V

Template:Infobox Template:Infobox Civilization (series)

Sid Meier's Civilization V is the fifth installment of the classic Turn Based strategy game series Civilization, developed by Firaxis.

Key Points

Game is actively maintained by Firaxis, with periodic updates.

Steam Integration means simplified installation, patching, and multiplayer matchmaking.

Patches tend to introduce severe bugs into the game.

Poor Multiplayer support.

The Mac version is outsourced to a third party, causing periodic conflict and incompatibility between PC and Mac versions.

General Information

2K Games Forum - Official Civilization V Forum.

Steam Forum - Older Steam forum for Civilization series.

Steam Civilization V Discussion - New Community Discussions for Civilization V (Steam account required).

Steam Forum Troubleshooting Thread - Troubleshooting Guide for PC Steam versions.

CivFanatics

Availability

There are no installation limits on Civilization V for Steam and Retail versions.

There is a version sold in the Mac App Store called Campaign Edition. This is not compatible with retail or Steam DLC or expansions, and lacks online multiplayer.

Game of The Year Edition does not include the Gods and Kings expansion. It contains all DLC except Korea and Wonders of The Ancient World. It also includes a digital soundtrack.

Available DLC

1. Civilization and Scenario Pack: Mongolia (Free)
2. Civilization and Scenario Pack: Korea
3. Wonders of The Ancient World Scenario Pack
4. Explorer's Map Pack
5. Civilization and Scenario Pack: Denmark - The Vikings
6. Civilization and Scenario Pack: Polynesia
7. Double Civilization and Scenario Pack: Spain and Inca
8. Cradle of Civilization: Mesopotamia
9. Cradle of Civilization: Americas
10. Cradle of Civilization: Asia
11. Cradle of Civilization: Mediterranean
12. Babylon
13. Gods and Kings Expansion

Game Data

Steam Cloud

Civilization V supports Steam Cloud storage for saved games.

PC and Mac Saves

Save games for PC and Mac versions of Civ V use the same format, but to prevent conflicts, the filenames are different. To use a PC save on Mac, or a Mac save on PC, you must rename the save file.

Video Settings

Supported Resolutions

Civilization V requires 1024x768 or greater resolution. Any resolution above this will work (widescreen or full screen). The game interface will not display properly at 720p.

Borderless Fullscreen Windowed

Functioning using Borderless Windowed. Mouse offset may be 15px off vertically.

Issues And Fixes

Issues With Gods and Kings

The issues with Gods and Kings are usually also present in the original game. The issues and fixes on this page apply for all versions of Civilization V, including Gods and Kings.

Issues With Version 1.2.0.13 (November 1, 2012)

Intel Graphics

The new patch contains many changes and optimizations for Intel. As a result, the latest drivers are required.

Reported Bugs

The following bugs have been reported in the newest patch:

The game may crash when playing saved games from before the patch.

Some players have had serious graphic corruption.

The game may crash when attacking with a city. A possible workaround is to use strategic view when using a city bombardment. Another possible fix is running the game in windowed mode.

The game may crash during the loading screen. (NVIDIA users may be able to fix this with an updated driver. 9.18.13.697 (306.97) is reported to work.)

The game may crash when attacking.

Mods may constantly redownload.

Units may no longer take the optimal path to an ordered location.

Captured/recaptured Workers are unable to complete tile improvements - (documented in LAN multiplayer, untested in single player)

Workers may not be able to build improvements near captured cities.

Captured cities may automatically annex, without offering the options to create puppt, raze, or liberate.

Peace treaties may not expire.

Basic Troubleshooting

Verify Game Cache

The first step to fixing problems with Civilization V is to make sure it is installed correctly. You can do this by verifying the game cache with Steam.

Verify Game Cache Always Finds A Corrupt File

If you run Verify Game Cache in Steam, you will get a message that 1 file failed to validate and must be reacquired. It will then download a single 5 MB file. If you run the game then run verify again, the same message will appear, and the file will download again. This is normal behavior for the game. Every time you run the game, the executable file is modified by Steam, causing it to differ from the original version. When Steam validates the file, it will notice the difference, and download a new copy, which is then modified again. This is not a bug, but it has caused some alarm in people.

Check Your Steam Connection

Installing Civilization V requires a working Internet connection to Steam.

Secondary Installers

If you're encountering issues with launching Civilization V, make sure everything installed smoothly. If you have problems launching the game, you may also need to manually run secondary installers required by this game.

• Exit Steam entirely.

• Browse to your Civilization V installation folder

C:\Program files(x86)\Steam\Steamapps\common\sid meier's civilization v\

• Run the following installers:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\Common\sid meier's civilization v\VCRedist\vcredist_x86.exe

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\Common\sid meier's civilization v\DirectX\DXSetup.exe

• Reboot your computer and test any issues again.

• If you continue to have difficulty, and you are running Windows Vista or 7, please also run the following installer (if you are using Window XP you may skip this step):

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\Common\sid meier's civilization v\DirectX\D3D11Install.exe

• Reboot once more and test the issue again.

Unable to Run DirectX 11

If Steam doesn't highlight the option to run DirectX 10 & 11 on the game launcher, stating it requires Service Pack 2 or above, the solution is:

1. Quit out of Steam.

2. Right-click on the Steam.exe application (found in the Steam installation folder) and select "Properties", then select the "Compatibility" tab.

3. At the bottom of this tab is a button called "Change Settings for All Users". Click it.

4. Change the compatibility mode to AT LEAST "Windows Vista Service Pack 2".

5. Relaunch Steam.

This should correct this particular problem for you. When you install steam on 64-bit system, or on a different drive than "C", Steam will sometimes relegate itself to "Compatibility Mode" which can cause bad things to happen.

Steam Workshop Issues

Some people are having problems getting mods to download from Steam Workshop. If this happens, try deleting Civ5ModsDatabase.db from My Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 5\cache. This can also help if the list of mods disappears.

Some people have reported that Steam Workshop does not work, and selecting the Mods menu displays "Single Player" instead.

DLC Issues

Purchasing DLC causes it to automatically be downloaded and installed on Civilization V. Periodically, problems can occur with DLC, causing it to not appear in the game (either disappearing or not appearing in the first place). This includes Gods and Kings.

If DLC does not appear in the game, first check the in-game DLC menu and ensure that your DLC is listed and enabled. If it is not listed, check your DLC list in the Steam library and ensure the DLC is listed there. If purchased DLC is not listed there, contact Steam support.

If DLC is listed in your Steam library Civilization V entry, but not in the game, verify the game cache files. If this does not work, uninstall and reinstall Civilization V, and the DLC should be installed with it.

Game Corruption

If for any reason, the game will not work and the other fixes here do not help, you have strange behavior in the game (such as a damaged interface/no interface), or the game suddenly begins crashing on loading a game, you may have problems with the database files, user settings, corrupted saves, or other damaged data files. These are stored in My Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 5\. Everything in this folder can be deleted, and will be regenerated the next time the game is run, using the original factory settings for the game, with the following exceptions:

1. Saved games, logs, replays, or other user created data will be deleted unless a backup is made. This does not apply to Steam Cloud saves.
2. User settings (config.ini, GraphicsSettingsDX11.ini or equivalent, UserSettings.ini) will be removed and replaced with the default settings. All preferences, including screen resolution, will be reset and need to be changed.
3. All mods will be deleted. Steam Workshop mods will be redownloaded automatically, however mods from other sources will have to be reacquired.

Problems with files in the user folder are not checked by other troubleshooting means, for instance, verifying the game cache will overlook these files. Deleting the contents of this folder may correct many problems with the game. It should be done as a last resort, however.

You could also try deleting the contents of the My Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 5\cache\ folder first, followed by the .ini files listed above, if you wish to preserve your data.

This may be combined with an uninstall and reinstall to completely restore the game, in case of serious corruption. To do a complete reinstallation:

1. Right click the game in your library and select "Delete Local Content". Alternatively, you can use the Windows Control Panel to uninstall the game.
2. Delete the Sid Meier's Civilization 5 folder from My Documents/My Games.
3. Restart your computer.
4. From Steam, right click the game in your library, and click Install Game.
5. Run the game to reactivate and recreate the game folders.

Video and Graphics Issues

NVIDIA Drivers

The latest patches to Civilization V make changes to the graphics that require NVIDIA users to update to the latest drivers. Version 306.97 is reported to work. Using an older driver (particularly old Beta drivers) may cause crashing or errors in the game.

Intel Drivers

Users of Intel HD graphics may have issues with the latest patch. Updating their drivers may resolve these. If you are using an HP computer, make sure you get your Intel driver from them, not from Intel.

Issues with Opening Movies

If the game crashes or loads to a black screen, there may be an incompatibility with the video files. Deleting the WMV video files from the Civilization V folder may allow the game to run, as the expense of losing the opening movies.

"N" Versions of Windows may not be compatible with the opening videos.

Issues with Resolution (Screen Cutoff)

Sometimes after installing the game, the game resolution will be larger than the screen and parts of the game will be cut off. To fix this, go into options and change the game resolution. If you are unable to access the options, manually edit GraphicsSettingsDX9.ini or GraphicsSettingsDX11.ini (depending on which DirectX mode you use) in \My Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 5\ to the correct resolution (1024x768 Minimum).

Checkerboard Patterns

If the game displays checkboard textures anywhere in the game, make sure you have enough video memory available. Close all open and background programs, and disable Aero (if applicable). Make sure you have the latest video drivers. Another reported fix is to edit My Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 5\config.ini where it says MaxSimultaneousThreads = X to a smaller number (such as half).

Disappearing Cursor

If pointer trails are enabled in Windows, the cursor might disappear or act strangely during the game. Disabling pointer trails might resolve disappearing cursor issues.

Performance and Crashing

Can't Select Units or End Turn (EnableGameCoreThreading)

In recent patches of Civilization V, some people have had problems with a severe delay (up to several minutes) in selecting units or using the End Turn/Choose Production/Research/etc. button. This has been greatly improved in the latest patch, although there is still a long periodic delay.

This can be resolved in some cases by lowering the graphics settings. Another method is to edit config.ini in My Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 5\ (Windows) and change EnableGameCoreThreading = 1 to EnableGameCoreThreading = 0. This method allows the game to run without changing the graphics settings. It also may help with random crashes/start up crashes since the new patch.

Leaderhead Crash

If the game is crashing upon meeting other leaders, you can disable leaderheads by editing config.ini in My Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 5\ and changing LeaderHead = 0 to LeaderHead = 1. Leader screens will be blank, however the game will stop crashing.

Setting the Leader Scene Quality to low will give you a static picture of the leaders. This also prevents the game from crashing.

Multiplayer

Multiplayer Bug Overview

Civilization V Multiplayer is notoriously buggy. Common problems include players dropping from the lobby, mass disconnecting of players, freezing, graphics glitches, increasing lag, ancient ruins not working, game locking until a player quits. In some cases, laggy games can allow some players to double-move. Some people find it impossible to play up to turn 100 in a multiplayer game.

Increasing Lag

People have reported that the multiplayer game increases in lag each turn until the game disconnects. One reported fix is to disable Hamachi or other VPN software, as it seems to conflict with the game.

One way of disabling Hamachi is to open the Device Manager. Under Network Adapters right-click Hamachi Network Interface and click Disable.

Another reported fix is changing the MTU settings. First, open a command prompt and enter netsh interface ipv4 show subinterfaces and check the MTU size. You want 1500. If it's not that, use this to set it: netsh interface ipv4 set subinterface "Wireless Network Connection" mtu=1500 store=persistent. You'll need to replace "Wireless Network Connection" with the name of the adapter you're using.

Mac and PC Version Mismatch

The Mac version is not handled by Firaxis or 2K Games, so they only develop patches for PC. Another company (Aspyr) handles the Mac version of the patches, after they have been released on PC. As a result, Mac patches are released later than PC patches. You cannot play multiplayer unless the versions match, so after a PC update, you cannot play online against a Mac. There is no solution to this, other than waiting for the Mac patch.

Miscellaneous Issues

Auto-Scrolling Between Turns

In some cases, the game will scroll out of control between turns, whenever a battle or other action occurs. The latest patch fixes most cases of this, although it can still occur.

Overheating

Civilization V has been connected to overheating of graphics cards on some computers (especially high end graphics cards). While there is no official fix, there are a few workaround for the issue.

You can adjust the fan speed (either using your graphics software or a third party program) to increase the cooling of your GPU. Overheating symptoms include increased fan noise, graphical corruption, and computer freezes/automatic shutdowns.

A workaround for overheating issues has been found. Installing a trial version of Bandicam allows you to limit the fraterate of the game, reducing the amount of heat produced by the game. Bandicam is recording software, however it also contains a framerate limiter which is active in the trial version.

For those that would rather not need an external program to control the framerate issues, turning on vsync is also a viable solution.

Mods

Mods and Mac

The Mac version of Civilization V does not officially support Mods or Steam Workshop. You may be able to manually install a mod, but it is complicated to do so, and has varying results. There is a tutorial on the Steam Forums at http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2917532 that shows how to manually install mods on Mac.

Downloading Mods Using Steam Workshop

The easiest way to find mods is to browse Steam Workshop. This can be accessed from your Steam Library under Sid Meier's Civilization V. You simply browse through the workshop, and any mod that you want, click the "subscribe" button on its page. You can do this from the Steam client, from the workshop website, from the Steam Overlay, or directly from the Mod Menu in Civilization V itself. Once subscribed, the download will begin next time you open the Mod Menu, or if it is already open, immediately. If you play on another computer, the mods will automatically download and install on that computer as well when you open the Mod Menu. If the above does not work, see the Issues and Fixes section.

Activating Mods

From the main menu, choose Mods, and a popup will ask you to agree to the mod usage terms. Then you will have a list of any mods you have downloaded. To activate a mod, click the checkbox next to it. You can have as many mods as you wish, but some conflict with each other. Once you have picked your mods, hit "Next" and continue to the next screen, which is a menu with only one option, which is Single Player. Click this, and the mod will be activated and you can set up a game. Note that clicking the checkbox next to a mod, then hitting back to return to the main menu does not activate mods. Any game launched from the main menu will be played mod-free.

Updating Mods

With Steam Workshop mods, periodic updates are released. If an update is available, an update button will appear on the mod's listing in your Mod Menu. Click this and the mod will update to the new version.

System Requirements

• DirectX 11 mode may not be available on Core i3 integrated graphics. Core i5/i7 graphics are compatible with DirectX 11 mode.