Overview
How to handle issues either with crashes, broken/malfunctioning game components (tech tree “missing info”, inactive traits, lost buildings, etc.), and recurring Steam validation issues.
Before we start….
Since this is a guide for the average gamer or (no offense intended) less-knowledgeable gamer/pc-user, I will try my best to keep things simple and as clear as possible. Also, I just wanted to make something clear: this guide is simply meant to provide several courses of action which tend to resolve the overwhelming majority of issues people most often come across. Ok, so lets start.
Lets get some info
Whether your game crashes on startup, has missing in-game components, or is constantly failing at file validation (or any number of other problems), it is important to gather some information about the problem first. This will help guide you in your choice of action as to what to fix, update, disable, or reinstall.
So, first, lets shrink this Steam window so that you can open up a file explorer window next to it. In the explorer screen, go to your Steam folder, wherever that might be (often it will be C:Program FilesSteam). Next go to steamappscommonGalactic Civilizations III.
In this folder, you will find a text file called “debug”. (NOT DEBUG.ERR)
Open “debug”, and see what it says. Do yourself a favor, and save a copy of this file to your desktop.
<<If you happen to be having problems with a mod you are running the process is different>>
If using a mod, get your “debug” text file from (usually) the following C:Users”Your_Name_Here”DocumentsMyGamesGC3Crusade
I don’t recall if the “debug” text file is in that folder, or if it is constructed and saved in the Debug folder, which is in the GC3Crusade folder, so just look around for it. Again, once you have found and opened this file, save a copy to your desktop for future reference (and in case you need to post it later).
Part 1 of the Kitchen Sink – Anti-Virus Check
Since we have saved information, however incomprehensible to most mere mortals, concerning the error or problem we are encountering, we can move on to trying to fix the issue.
First of all, lets try the least drastic action, and simply turn off your anti-virus program’s auto-protect. Anti-virus programs can sometimes identify certain files, that a game uses and are necessary for the game to run properly, as dangerous. So go into Norton, or AVG, or whatever anti-virus program you have running, and simply turn off the auto-protect function (temporarily). Now try running the game again.
If you happen to have no more issues with the game, then you simply must add the Galactic Civ 3 files and folders as exceptions to your anti-virus’ auto-protect function, which you should be able to figure out how to do through your anti-virus’ support website. Remember to re-enable the auto-protect function later!
However, if you continue to have the same issue as before, with the game, go back to your anti-virus program and re-enable the auto-protect function.
Part 2 of the Kitchen Sink – Drivers Check
Since it does not seem like your anti-virus is causing you your headaches, it is time to move on. Now, we will check for device drivers and updates that may have recently been released. It is quite common that these new device updates are or eventually become necessary to run this game, or any game, correctly. So…..
<<NOTE: For Windows 10 >>
Go to the “Start” button in the lower left corner of the desktop screen and left click.
Then click on “Settings”.
In the “Settings” windows, click on Update & Security.
This will bring you to a “Windows Update” screen. If your system is properly configured, your computer should automatically check for updates, but sometimes things get a bit mucked up. Check to see if the window says, “You’re up to date”. If it does, you are done, and can move on to the next step.
If it does not, you should have a button that says, “Check now”. Click it, and Windows will check online for any drivers or software updates to most of the components connected to your computer. Be warned though, because this check can have some glaring oversights. For example, it does not always update software or drivers for AMD/Radeon Graphics cards. But don’t worry, this guide addresses that hiccup.
Now, try the game again, and see if your problem persists. If your game is up and running, I suggest you make a note to keep your device drivers up to date. The update process can be impeded if you prevent your computer from shutting down on a daily basis, so I would suggest that you either shut your computer after you are done using it, or that you set a time at which the computer would automatically restart itself.
However, if you still have a problem, let’s try updating something else.
Part 3 of the Kitchen Sink – Video Card Double Check
We just updated most every device driver on our systems. But like I mentioned above, Windows Update doesn’t seem to like to update AMD/Radeon graphics card drivers and software. Now we need to identify your graphics card, and to do that we are going to go to the Device Manager.
A quick shortcut to get to the device manager is to copy and paste the following into the search bar, in the task bar at the bottom of your desktop screen.
Triple click on the following, then press Ctrl+C.
devmgmt.msc
Next go to the search bar, click in there once, then press Ctrl+V, followed by Enter or Return. The device manager will open up.
In the tree, find a tab called “Display adapters”, and click on it. It will open up a stem below showing the name of your graphics card. If there happens to be a red or yellow icon next to it, you can almost be assured that you found at least part of your problem. Either way, write down the name of your graphics card for future reference.
Now, there are several ways of going about updating your graphics card’s software and drivers, so I will only briefly outline them here.
First, is to simply right click on the graphics card in the device manager window, and select “update driver”. Then select “Search automatically for updated driver software”. Follow the on screen prompts, and once you are done updating, restart your computer. Now, see if the game runs correctly.
*****(Note: The next few steps concerning updating your graphics card software might be somewhat intimidating, intense, or too complicated for some, and others might consider it overkill. Feel free to move on to Part 4)*****
Second, get back to the device manager window. <<Caution: Don’t freak out.>> Select your graphics card again, right click on it, and select “uninstall device”. Once that process is done, restart your computer, go back to the device manager, select your graphics card once again, right click on it, and select “update driver”. Follow the onscreen prompts, and once the process is complete, restart your computer. Now, try running the game again. If it runs properly, great. If not, and you have a suspicion that your graphics card is still the problem, keep reading.
Third, and perhaps most extreme, but most efficient, is to wipe all graphics card drivers and software from your system and only install the latest software and driver for your graphics card. I am unfamiliar with nVidia cards, but AMD/Radeon has a program available on their website for download, that scans the entire computer for any and all AMD drivers and software, and uninstalls it. So, if you have an AMD/Radeon graphics card, do that. Then once that is complete, double check your downloads and documents folders (or anywhere else you may have put older downloaded versions of .zip files containing AMD software and drivers (like adreneline, Vulcan, etc.). Delete these as well, for safety’s sake (because yes…. I once went through this process, only to install outdated software by accident). Then go back to the AMD support website[www.amd.com] and download their auto-detect driver program. Save this program, and follow the on screen prompts… it will only install the latest versions that your graphics card needs. Finally, once again, restart your computer, then check to see if your game is running properly. If not, its time to move on….
Part 4 – The Kitchen Sink – Game Installation Check
One of the most finicky things about computers is a program’s installation process. Alot of people expect “plug and play” like installations, where a program or game can be installed and then immediately used, however this is not always the case. I have personally found that Galactic Civ 3 is one of those games which requires “proper handling”, both during installation and uninstalls.
As we have ruled out many of the most common issues that might have been causing your problems, at least on the side of your computer, we throw the ball into the game’s court.
We are going to uninstall the game and then re-install it, BUT READ AND FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS BELOW!!!!!!!! And just to clarify, your saved games should be safe from the uninstall, though there might be a risk of them being unusable afterward due to being corrupted by the earlier broken version of the game.
So, the first step is to open Steam, then right click on Galactic Civilizations 3, and select properties. In the properties window, select Uninstall, and confirm the uninstall.
Now, RESTART your computer.
Open Steam, check that Gal Civ 3 is uninstalled. Now go to the “Steam” drop down menu at the top of the window (usually where the “file” menu would be located). Select “Settings”, and the “Downloads”. Now click on the “Clear Downloads Cache” button. Follow the prompts. Once that is done, RESTART your computer again. Yes, I know this can be tiresome.
Once your system is up and running again, open Steam, and select Galactic Civ 3 in your Games list, and click on the install button. Again follow the prompts, and then allow the game to download and install. Once that is all done…. RESTART your computer once again.
When your back in Steam, you can then, and ONLY then, try running the game.
I hope this has resolved your issue, if not…. well, be sure to post your error message/debug info in whatever discussion threads you are looking for help in!