There is an extensive manual, complete with hints, in your Civilization II Multiplayer Gold Edition box. This book has many strategies and tips listed, and can be very useful.
In the manual, you will see a 15-page tutorial. This will get you started, and get you some practical experience in the world of Civilization II Multiplayer Gold Edition.
There are many cheats for Civ II, and they are all listed in the Cheats menu on the main play screen. Please note: Using the cheats may adversely affect your score.
Further Hints, Tips and Answers from players like yourself can be found on the following sites:
The following is a description of the minimum system requirements for Civilization II Multiplayer Gold Edition. If your system does not meet or exceed these requirements, then the game will run incorrectly, or not at all.
IBM PC or 100% compatible computer
Pentium-class or faster processor
Windows 95 or 98
16 MB RAM
95 MB available hard drive space
2X or faster CD-ROM drive
SVGA-compatible video card*
Windows 95/98/ME compatible sound card*
* Compatible with DirectX version 5.0 or higher
For multiplayer play across multiple computers, you'll want a LAN connection, a 14.4K modem, or a connection to the Internet.
This game supports the Windows AutoPlay feature. Simply insert the installation CD into your CD-ROM drive and wait for the installation screen to appear. Then, simply follow the onscreen instructions to complete the installation.
If the AutoPlay program does not start automatically:
Double click the My Computer icon on your Windows desktop
This game requires that Microsoft's DirectX version 5.0 be installed on your computer prior to playing the game. Windows ME and 98 users already meet this requirement, and do not need to install anything extra. Normally, if this is necessary, it will happen at the end of the installation process automatically.
If you are running Windows 95 and do not already have DirectX version 5.0 or higher installed on your machine, or you need to re-install it for any reason, just follow these steps.
Insert the game CD into your CD-ROM drive.
Double click on the "My Computer" icon.
RIGHT click on the game icon.
LEFT click on "Open".
Double click on the DirectX folder
Double click on the DirectX folder again.
Double click the Dxsetup icon.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
Ignore any warnings you may receive by clicking on YES.
Restart Windows to complete the installation.
WARNING: While DirectX 5.0 should be able to determine what version of DirectX currently resides on a system and halt the installation if it deems it to be harmful or unnecessary, you should not attempt to install DirectX 5.0 on a Windows system running a more recent version of DirectX.
How to determine what version of DirectX you have installed on your Windows 95 or 98 system:
Click Start, then Run.
In the Open box, type "DXDIAG"
If the DirectX Diagnostic Tool launches, you are at least running DirectX 5.0. To see what version, note the bottom line in the System Information box on the first page, "DirectX Version". Click Exit in the lower right hand corner of the window when you are finished.
If you receive an error that starts with "Cannot find the file 'DXDIAG'…", then click OK, which should return you to Step 2. Type "DXINFO"
If this launches a DXINFO program, the left-hand pane contains information about what version of DirectX is installed, with the version number in the hundredths slot of the "DirectX Version (Registry)" entry. (For example, 4.05 is DirectX 5.)
If you receive the error in Step 4 again, you do not have DirectX installed on your system. Follow the directions above to install it.
We have a patch available for Civilization II Multiplayer Gold Edition that fixes several minor issues, including but not limited to the following:
The Casualty Timeline is now available in both hotseat and single player modes of play. In a hotseat game, this can be used to determine unit losses at the start of a turn.
Bribing of units in a democracy now functions correctly in all cases.
The chat window and trading windows will now re-center when a player executes the "Arrange Windows" command from the "View" pulldown menu. This allows these windows to be brought back into view when they "jump" off the edge of the screen.
In a hotseat game, attitude values for a human player towards other players will NOT change while it is NOT that human's turn. They should be adjusted annually in the "Foreign Minister" window.
During network (and Internet) games, it is no longer possible to disband a unit multiple times (and gain unearned shields) when the latency (delay time) is high.
During scenarios, enemy ships will no longer spontaneously appear inside cities. (This happened very infrequently.)
In response to your requests, we have added a feature to negotiation between human rulers. When you are parleying with another human, you now have the option to Hide the extra information about your units and cities from your opponent. (Note that this info disappears from your display, too.) When you have the data hidden, you have the option to Reveal it (and you can switch back and forth as often as you wish). A third new button lets you Request Info of your opponent. This sends a message to the other person asking that the city and unit data be revealed. Of course, he or she can Deny your request. There is no notification of the decision, but your opponent's answer will be clear. (Either you'll see the information or you won't.)
The latest Indeo drivers are available from Intel at: http://developer.intel.com/ial/indeo/video/driver.htm
VFWFIX.REG is included with this patch. You should be able to double-click on it to update the registry. However, you might need to do this:
Run REGEDIT (under RUN in the Start Menu).
Click on the Registry menu (at the top).
Select "Import Registry File", then locate the VFWFIX.REG file.
Double-click it.
The Game Profile now appears at the beginning of a multiplayer game, just as a reminder.
During the game, the Game Profile is available on the Game menu.
The Cheat menu is no longer available during multiplayer games.
The Pikeman's defensive bonus now works properly in double movement games.
When technologies are offered for trade, the trade lists include all of the technologies you do not already have, even if that opponent does not have them. (Thus, you gain no information on his or her status.) If you have an Embassy or an Alliance with that opponent, both the list of advances you see and the one you present (to your opponent) are culled. You see only the advances he or she has that you need, and your opponent sees only those you have that he or she needs.
The GoTo order now works as it did in the original Civilization II.
The occasional blocking of human parleys should no longer happen.
"Nothing happens when I insert the game CD into my CD-ROM drive."
The AutoPlay feature may be turned off on your computer.
If you wish to install the game without enabling AutoPlay, you can start the setup process manually by double clicking on the "My Computer" icon on your Windows desktop, then on your CD-ROM drive icon, then on "SETUP.EXE".
If a CD-ROM icon does not appear when you open the "My Computer" icon, or if clicking on SETUP.EXE doesn't start your game either, then your CD-ROM drive may be in "MS-DOS compatibility mode".
To learn how to enable AutoPlay on your system, or to learn how to see if your CD-ROM drive is in MS-DOS compatibility mode, please refer to our Windows 95/98/ME General Troubleshooting FAQ.
"The Installer starts to copy files, but then just quits to the desktop."
Make sure that you have enough hard drive space available on your system before installing. If you don't have at least 95 Megabytes free, the game can't install.
If you have enough space, check the shiny underside of the CD for fingerprints, smudges, scratches, or anything else that may cause your drive to have trouble reading it.
If the CD looks clean and undamaged, then your CD-ROM drive may be running in "MS-DOS Compatibility Mode".
"I receive an error message stating that I do not have enough memory to run the game."
This will occur if the system does not have the required amount of RAM in order to run the game. Civilization II Multiplayer Gold Edition requires a system with at least 16MB of RAM in order to run. You should ensure that all background applications are closed when you install, and check the rest of the system components such as the video card to make sure they also meet the minimum requirements for the game.
"I receive an error message: 'Error Move Data Process 115'."
This error comes up during the installation process when you a) have selected the root directory of a drive as the install point, b) have a critical file on the CD open in another application, thereby locking it down and making it impossible to copy, or c) do not have enough free drive space to run the game.
To fix this, make sure you are installing the program to an actual folder on your hard drive (or go with the suggested defaults), ensure that all background applications are closed when you install, and make sure you have the necessary available hard drive space that the program requires for installation.
"I receive an error message about a missing DDRAW.DLL, D3D.DLL, or DSOUND.DLL file."
This is an indication that DirectX was not successfully installed. You should try reinstalling DirectX from the program CD, or download the latest version of DirectX from http://www.microsoft.com/DirectX.
To learn how to reinstall DirectX, please see the "DirectX Installation" portion of this FAQ, or our Direct X FAQ page.
"I receive an error that reads 'Problem creating instance of Directsound' when I try to launch the game."
This error can occur if there is no sound card in the system, the sound card is not functioning, or if there is a conflict with another program trying to use the sound card. If you can confirm the sound card is working, try shutting down all applications running in the background before starting the game.
If this does not help, try deactivating the "Wave Device For Voice Modem" under the Sound, Video, and Game Controllers section in Device Manager. Here's how:
Click Start > Settings > Control Panel.
Double-click the System Icon.
In the Device Manager tab, click the plus sign (+) next to Sound, Video, and Game Controllers.
If Wave Device for Voice Modem is listed, highlight it and click the Properties button.
On the General tab, put a check mark in the box labeled, "Disable in this hardware profile".
Click OK, then click Close. Restart the system when prompted.
"The game randomly freezes, crashes, or locks up the computer."
First, shut down all other applications that may be running on your computer. Other applications can interfere with the game's operation. For instructions on how to do this, please see our Windows 95/98/ME General Troubleshooting FAQ.
If this doesn't help, then the software drivers that Windows uses to communicate with your hardware may be out of date, or incompatible with the game. Install the latest DirectX compatible drivers available for your video and sound card from the card's manufacturer. If you have already updated to the latest driver version from the manufacturer and the problem persists, you may want to see if reference drivers are available from the video chip manufacturer. Reference drivers are usually more standardized than the manufacturer's versions and may work better with a wider variety of games.
For more information on this topic and contact information on a wide variety of hardware vendors, please see our How to Update Your Drivers FAQ.
First, check your speakers to make sure that they are turned on, connected properly to the rest of the system, and that the volume controls are turned up. If they are, then check your windows volume controls by clicking on the small yellow speaker icon on your taskbar.
If you have already tried the solutions above and still can't hear sound, then you'll need to update your sound card drivers to the latest versions available.
This game uses Microsoft's DirectX for all graphics and sound effects. It cannot run properly unless DirectX version 5.0 or higher is installed on your computer. (Again, this is standard equipment on Windows ME and Windows 98, you only need to worry about this if you are running Windows 95.) It may also exhibit problems if the video card and/or sound card in your computer are not 100% DirectX compliant.
Re-install DirectX from the installation CD, then reboot your computer and try playing the game again. For instructions, see the section near the top of this document labeled "DirectX Installation".
If the problem still occurs, then you'll need to update your video and/or sound card drivers with the latest versions available from the manufacturer. For more information on this topic and contact information on a wide variety of hardware vendors, please see our How to Update Your Drivers FAQ.
"I've encountered a problem that was not mentioned in this document."
REBOOT your computer after installation, especially if you needed to install or update DirectX. Several updated system files are copied to your hard drive during installation, which can't take effect until you reboot.
Make sure that your system meets the minimum system requirements as listed on the box and at the top of this document. If your system does not meet or exceed the minimum requirements, it will run poorly, or not at all.
Shut down all other programs that you may have running on your system before playing. Other programs can interfere with the operation of the game. For detailed instructions on shutting down all of your other applications, please see our Windows 95/98/ME General Troubleshooting FAQ.
Make sure you have plenty of room left you your hard drive, or Windows may not have enough room for a swap file. This can cause some very strange problems. (As a general rule, make sure you have at least 100 MB free on your C: drive AFTER installation for your swap file.)
Make sure that the CD itself is not dirty or damaged in any way. If the CD is dirty, it can be cleaned. Most computer stores carry inexpensive CD-ROM cleaning kits that will safely restore your CD. If you want to try cleaning the CD without a kit, you can wash the CD using lukewarm water, MILD NON-ABRASIVE dish soap, and a very soft and clean COTTON cloth. Do NOT use any kind of paper product or abrasive soap to clean the CD, as these WILL scratch! Once the CD is clean, be sure to let the CD dry completely before inserting it into your CD-ROM, or damage may result.
If the CD is scratched or physically damaged in any way, you may need to send it in for replacement. For our mailing address and other important information regarding replacements, please see our Consumer Service Policies and Information.
Try uninstalling, and then re-installing the game.
