Caesar IV Fixes

Caesar IV is the next big thing in the series and even if it's not following the original recipe to the letter, it still delivers a solid experience. That is if you get past the numerous problems presented by the upgraded engine and gameplay issues. The introduction of HDR in a former 2D game has posed some serious problems for people with earthlike graphics cards but the main issue was the intensive reliability on Framework 2.0. And if you still can't play, you might want to give Microsoft a call and ask them about the windows update screw-up. This is how you fix it:

- If Caesar IV has been shutting down on you during start up without any error message, you may have a problem with the Windows kernel update (kb917422) that was sent out by Microsoft back in August. You can tell if you have kb917422 by running the system Control Panel, then the ADD/REMOVE software utility. Check the box at the very top that is next to SHOW UPDATES. You will then see all the Windows updates installed on your system on the list. There is a Microsoft "fix" for this kernel conflict problem being caused by kb917422 with a number of applications. It is another update that you can download and install from HERE.

These are other known issues and possible fixes, even in the demo:
- The Caesar IV Demo requires the version of DirectX(r) included with the Demo installer. The game will not launch if this version is not installed. Installation will not downgrade later versions; no changes are made if later versions are present.

- The Windows ALT-TAB function will work with Caesar IV but is not supported.

- If the "Day / Night Cycle" option is unchecked in the video options screen and the game is restarted, the playing field may be too dark on some machines. Simply re-check this option box and restart to fix this issue if this occurs.

- When the "Show pop-up messages" option is unchecked in the interface option screen, Caesar's requests and demands will not display and will not be able to be fulfilled. Re-check the "Show pop-up messages" box in the interface options screen to resolve this.

- Some workers may occasionally become stuck on the way to their destinations. This is a known issue and will be fixed in the final game. To remedy this in the demo, you may delete the building that the worker is associated with. Keep in mind that this will also delete any resources stored in that building.

- For general gameplay help and information, please refer to in-game help by clicking on the "?" icon in the lower right hand corner of the user interface. Help for specific buildings and units can also be viewed by clicking the "?" icon that appears inside of a selected building or units object information inside of the object detail box in the lower part of the user interface.

- The Caesar IV Demo will not present resolution choices your machine cannot display. However, with certain display devices, the allowed resolutions may be reported to the operating system incorrectly and thus will cause Caesar IV to display resolutions that the system hardware cannot support. If one of these resolutions is selected and the game is launched, the monitor will either be black or display a video "out of range" error message. In the event this occurs with your particular monitor setup, browse to the folder the Caesar IV Demo was installed to (Default: "C:Program FilesSierraCaesar IV Demo") and delete the caesariv.ini file to fix the problem.

- It is known that under some rare installation circumstances, Caesar IV Demo may crash or lock up when starting a new game. To fix this, browse to the folder Caesar IV Demo was installed to (Default: "C:Program FilesSierraCaesar IV Demo") and double click the REGISTERDLL.BAT file. This will resolve the issue.

If you're still in the mood to play after all these problems, don't be afraid to give it a go. It's worth it!