SimCity Freak requests Assistance

[JHof]

Allright, I have decided to try on these new sections and see how they fit...

I'm a SimCity addict, a real fan of the game. I have played it since the cartooney first edition and have waqtched entire chunks of my existence vanish due to my obsessive playtime. I cheat like a mortgage banker and create monumental cities as I test and hone my God-mode, City Planner chops.

Recently I got the newest SimCity game, "SimCity Societies" and discovered, to my horror, that it will not load onto my computer. The loading process goes just so far and then stops. Evidently, it is not supported by my platform, a newish Dell 1.2 gig machine. I have tried numerous shortcuts to force it to load, but it has been like coitus interruptus--I can get only so far and then just peter out.

According to the uninformative instruction manual--and several websites devoted to the game-- I have enough power to support the game, but it will not load.

Is it because my virtual memory is wanting, or is it because of some mystery glitch in the load process, or what??? I had a tech geek add more memory, but no cigar, and buying a more powerful computer is out of the question. I desperately need to get past SC 4.What can I do to load the game??

[Eikon]

Does the manufacturer of the software provide any telephone support? Perhaps they can walk through the installation process with you and when you reach the point of "interruptus", they might be able to suggest a workaround at that point.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Are you sure it's a 1.2 gig machine and not 2.1? The reasons I ask are that 1.2 gig would make it pretty old (5 or 6 years at least), and because the system requirements for Societies include a 1.7ghz cpu. So if you're really running a 1.2, that's possibly what's holding you back. I've run games that far below requirements, though, and still been fine, so you may be able to get around that one.

My guess is your video card is probably not up to spec. Most basic dell systems have wimpy video cards out of the box. The good news there is you can buy a pretty low-end card for $50-$100 and be good to go. You can find out what video card you have by going to Start > Run and typing "dxdiag" (short for directx diagnostic). If it asks you if you want to connect to the internet, tell it no...that's not necessary in this case. Then click the "display" page. That'll show the make and model of your video card as well as it's onboard memory and the highest DirectX version it's compatible with. You need a minimum of 128mb of video memory and DirectX 9 compatibility for Societies.You can just post a screenshot of that window, or just look at the "DDI version" and "approx. total memory" fields and post up what they show--in addition to the name of the card.

Also, just FYI, the dxdiag window will also tell you your CPU speed and system memory under the "system" tab.

If it does turn out your video card is under spec, you should be able to pick up a Radeon 9600 or 9800 for $50-100, either of which should run Societies fine.

I have an original publishing release of the first Sim City complete with the very cool original box. Unfortunately it's missing the "password" book that was used for copy protection, so I can't play it.

[JHof]

MOD--thanks for the input.

My Dell is only 2 years old, so I may have a bigger gig. I do have the 128 gb memory--the main reason I bought the computer was to run the SimCity 4 shell which requires 128-- AND I have the Direct X compatibility.

I'm so ignorant of computers that it's embarrassing, but I think I have one with plenty of capability to run highly complex games-- you may be right about the vidcard, though.

Anyway, I'll try to follow the instructions you shared and see what happens. I'm also calling in a geek friend who knows everything about computers--and little about anything else-- and will ask him to try and load SC Societies.

[OriginalWheelman]

Did you ever get it up and running?

[JHof]

Not yet.I've been concentrating on finding a job and have not had time to play games, but as soon as there is time I will try to follow your ideas and reload SimCity...

[s0m3th1ngAZ]

128gig vid card...wowJ/P