Common Problems *PLEASE Read Before Posting*

[Tech Ian]

This will be added to constantly.

When first launching Civilization V the game crashes back to the desktop, why is this?

We have discovered that if you have any non-English characters in your Windows username the game may crash. This issue has only come to light since the release of the game's demo but we are working quickly to resolve this issue and hope to have a patch released shortly.
If you wish to play the game in the meantime you do have the option of creating an additional Windows user account from within the 'Users' section of the 'Control panel'. Ensure that non-English characters are not used to avoid issues.
Logging into the new account will allow you to log into your Steam account and play the game problem free. Once this issue has been resolved you can then continue to play the from your original account.
Note: If you wish to continue using the same saved game between accounts, choose 'Steam Cloud' when saving.

Where is the hot seat mode in Civilization V?

We appreciate that the hotseat mode is an important aspect of the game. While hotseat didn't make it for release date it is being worked on and it will be added via a free patch in the future.
Keep checking our community page for further details here

Where can I locate my CD Key?

Civilization V requires a CD key when purchased via retail, this key is printed on the back of the games manual in the following format:
AAAAA-BBBBB-CCCCC-DDDDD-EEEEE
The key may contain numbers and letters, also ensure that when entering the key you include the dashes and enter the letters in upper case.
Note: If you have purchased the game via Steam no CD key is necessary as the game will automatically appear in your Games list once purchased.


How do I stop the introduction from playing?

If you experience a crash during the introduction or you would simply like to skip it to get into the game quicker do the following:
- Browse to Documents\My Games\sid meier's Civilization 5
- Open the usersettings.ini in Notepad
- Find the setting SkipIntroVideo = 0 and change the value to 1
- Save your changes and you're done

On my Intel HD Graphics powered i3 330M laptop, (which meets the minimum spec) I get black fog of war everywhere, no matter which mode I am in.

Unfortunately, using the integrated graphics on the i3 is close to min-spec. You may be able to go into the Options screen, into video options, and bump the fog up to low or medium.
The low setting for Fog of War looks this way on purpose because it uses up VERY little processing power. The low to mid settings use a bit more, but are more pleasing to the eyes.

When playing Civilization V part of the game screen is missing or cropped, how can I fix this?

On a small number of monitors (particularly widescreen monitors) the game may start up at 1280x720. This will cause some elements of the game to be cut off. This can be remedied by entering the options menu and manually setting the resolution to a supported resolution.

To change this select "Options" from the main menu and then select "Video Options", this will show the screen resolution and allow you to alter it accordingly.

In rare instances, this may not be possible due to the amount of UI that gets cut off. To fix this, you will need to manually edit the "GraphicsSettingsDX9.ini" or "GraphicsSettingsDX11.ini" in \My Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 5\ so that the game launches at 1024x768 (the minimum supported resolution).

My game shows a greyed out DX10/11 Option / No DX10/11 Option / DX10/11 tells me I need to update to service pack 2??

Make sure that neither steam nor Civilization V is running in compatibility mode. If this does not fix the problem, then you may not have DX10/11 installed and you should check to make sure.

My computer shuts down while playing the game.

Shutdowns are a sign of overheating, whether it be Video Card or processor. It is most likely NOT a driver or software issue, as those manifest themselves as freezing, crashes, etc., not complete shutdowns.

The game is REALLY laggy/slow/has graphical issues.

This is most likely a video driver problem. If you are uncomfortable DLing the most recent BETA drivers for your card (if you have Nvidia), then just make sure you have the most recent driver and as long as you do, do a CLEAN reinstall of it and then reinstall DirectX11.

If you are ok with DLing the Beta, go to the Nvidia website and go to "Archived and Beta drivers", select your card, and select the most recent from that list. Download it, and select the "Custom Install" option and select "Clean install." If that alone does not help, reinstall DirectX11 and hopefull it will be smooth sailing.

The game crashes at (X) point.

Try the solution above, and if that doesn't work make sure you let the Tech Team know the exact time that the crash occured and what was happening so they can try and pinpoint it. I will add more to this as more solutions come out.

I have ____ problem and I have an SLI configuration.

Unfortunately, as it stands Civ V does not cooperate well with SLI systems. Although you can try driver updates, etc, your best bet would be to run a single GPU until a patch.

Game hangs when launched

If you are running Windows 7, the users files for the game may not have been created due to a conflict with My Documents.
Rename it to simply Documents and then try launching the game again.

I have an Intel 965 chipset

For Vista, there are a few steps to get it working:
1 - You need Vista Service Pack 2 (to update the drivers fully)
2 - You need the update v15 from the Intel website for the Express 965 Chipset. If you have the Dell updates, you will have to manually uninstall them to be able to then download/install the Intel update.
3 - You probably will need to run the game with DirectX 10 or 11 (because 9 doesn't really support the v15 update).

For XP, technically there is no way to fix the problem because we can't run DirectX 10 or 11, and we can only update the driver to v14 (which doesn't fix the problem), so unless you want to go out and buy Vista or 7, there's no official option.

More info: http://forums.2kgames.com/forums/sho...46#post1180846

added 15/11/10
Game freezes/crashes when clicking on Begin Journey

Go in to Documents (or My Documents) and either rename the full Civ 5 folder in there, or just rename the autosaves folder (or clear it out).



Minimum System Requirements
Operating System: Windows® XP SP3/ Windows® Vista SP2/ Windows® 7
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 GHz or AMD Athlon X2 64 2.0 GHz
Memory: 2GB RAM
Hard Disk Space: 8 GB Free
DVD-ROM Drive: Required for disc-based installation
Video: 256 MB ATI HD2600 XT or better, 256 MB nVidia 7900 GS or better, or Core i3 or better integrated graphics
Sound: DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card
DirectX®: DirectX® version 9.0c
Recommended System Requirements
Operating System: Windows® Vista SP2/ Windows® 7
Processor: 1.8 GHz Quad Core CPU
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Hard Disk Space: 8 GB Free
DVD-ROM Drive: Required for disc-based installation
Video: 512 MB ATI 4800 series or better, 512 MB nVidia 9800 series or better
Sound: DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card
DirectX®: DirectX® version 11
Other Requirements: Initial installation requires one-time Internet connection for Steam authentication; software installations required (included with the game) include Steam Client, Microsoft Visual C++2008 Runtime Libraries and Microsoft DirectX.
Internet Connection and acceptance of Steam™ Subscriber Agreement required for activation. See www.steampowered.com/agreement for details
Software license terms available in game manual and at www.take2games.com/eula. Non-transferable access to special features such as exclusive, unlockable, downloadable or online content, services or functions may require single-use serial code, additional fee and/or online account registration (13+). Access to special features may require internet connection, may not be available to all users, and may, upon 30 days notice, be terminated, modified or offered under different terms.

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If there is an issue that has been resolved, of which a lot are, I will be adding to this as soon as possible. The forum is crazy with new threads every 2 minutes. Would be nice to calm it down a little now the dust has settled.

I will lock this, and if something needs adding please PM me with the link to the thread, re: common problems sticky

[Tech Ian]

Provided by starrywisdom - many thanks.


So you booted up Civilization 5, but are having an issue! Well you have selected the right place to bring forth your problem to see if the community can help you diagnose and fix the issue, or send you to the right resource that can hopefully resolve the issue you are having!

First thing is first, there are a few common problems that have their own threads please examine the sticky's to see if you're problem is there. If it is, great, if it isn't no need to fret just make a new topic! In making your new topic please be as detailed as possible(be aware there is a character limit).

Civ 5 problem! Help,Help!

The above thread title doesn't easily explain your issue and is not the best way to name your thread! It lack's any information on the problem and will slow down the speed at which you may recieve assistance and replies.

[Hardware] My (insert hardware name) is (insert issue)

[Gameplay] My unit in multi-player won't move!

The above titles are great examples of how to be quite detailed in your thread title and allow users to easily see if they are also having the same issue and congregate thoughts into a single place!

Okay, so now you've found where to talk about your problem! Now you need to fill your post reply box with information that will help you relay what the issue is and the appropriate information to speed up assistance. There are a few key points to be made when posting on a public forum:

• Be polite - no obsessive need of swearing or rudeness, we all have an issue ever once in a while and we are here to help!
• Take the time to post in easily readable English! English is not everyones first language, we understand this, but please be as 'proper' as possible. We aren't the Grammar Police but posts that are properly 'formatted' with capitalization, punctuation and spelling makes it incredibly easier for us to understand you're problem and provide assistance! Make sure to break long posts up with paragraphs please!
• Be detailed! Provide as much information as possible and include your DXDIAG(information on how to below). Some questions to ask yourself while including your information include:
  
  • Is this problem seemingly random - or can I replicate it consistently?
  • Does this happen at a specific point in time - certain number of turns? Amount of time played? On start up? Et cetra.
  • What actions are you currently performing when the issue is occuring, does it happen whenever you move a unit? When you try using diplomacy?

Providing your DXDIAG
The DXDIAG is a very simple tool that provides a 'snapshot' of your hardware, which allows us to see a general overview of the hardware you are running. No confidental or extremely personal information is shown on this, and is one of the first things any tech support professional will ask you for. In order to post this information you must first run the program which you can do by follwing these steps:

• Click on the Windows "Start" button and then click "Run" or click into the "Start Search" field
• Type "dxdiag" (no quotes) and press the "Enter" key
• If you are prompted to check for WHQL signatures, select No
• When the "DirectX Diagnostic Tool" window opens, click on the "Save All Information..." button.(Located on the bottom towards the right)
• On the left side of the "Save as" dialog that opens click "Desktop"(Or where you feel comfortable saving it)
• Then press the "Enter" key or click the "Save" button.

Now that we have the information saved, navigate your way to where you saved the file. If you followed the above steps it should be sitting on your desktop for easy access! There will be a lot of information and with the character limit that exists on the forums we will only post the 'essentials' until more is needed, follow the directions below on how to access the information and include it into your post.
[LIST][*]Open the DXDIAG file from the location in which you saved it.[*]There will be a lot of information, so we will copy paste a certain amount, for now.[*]Highlight from the top('System Information') until where the ('Sound Devices') header starts.[*]Right click and hit copy or hold control and hit the 'C' key.[*]Open your forum post window and paste the information into the window(Right click and paste or hold control and hit the 'V' key)[*]Please use the "code" / "/code"(Replace the " with [ and ]) tags around your dxdiag block![*]I recommend not deleting the dxdiag file as you may need it soon for additional support!

Well now that you have included your DXDIAG and have typed out the details to your problem, there is only one thing left to do! Hit that 'Submit New Thread' button and allow the community, tech support, and modertors view your problem and hopefully work a way through your issue!

If the forums aren't providing your answer, don't worry! There are multiple ways to get support for your issue outside of the forum! There is the manufacturer of your hardware(The place where you bought your computer, the manufacturer of each component(Nvidia, ATI, etc for GPU's) and even more ways to contact 2K support! As outlined in this thread [http://forums.2kgames.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=87690] Tech Ian points out the other ways to get 2K support;

Obviously, with a game this popular, the support channels become strained. It may take a while to get through on the phone today/tonight/tomorrow but it will be answered, and the same goes for e-mails etc. We have a predicted turnaround time (mentioned in the auto-response) which again is a tad ambitious when a game this big comes out.

But we are doing the best we can and will be working as hard as always on each and every case we get.

(Maybe some people have slightly inflated expectations when it comes to support. And on release day, no less! )

So here is a reminder of how:

US Support
Phone: 1-866-219-9839
Email: usa@take2support.com

Canadian Support
Phone: 1-800-638-0127
Email: canada@take2support.com

You can also get your region's support information out of your manual.

If you get a case number from us (6 digits, on the title of any e-mail correspondence) then this is something that you can PM me if you feel like you need to, or want to.

Good luck, Live Long and Prosper(TM), and all that other good stuff!