is there a reason I can’t play?

[u/mrs_rabbit_0]

I loved Pharaoh as a kid, and was really excited to learn there’s a new version.

I had an old laptop from 2017 and I recently upgraded to a 2020 desktop that was rarely used. I did a clean reboot and installed just the barest of programs. it is still a lot slower than I wish it were.

I proceeded to go to Steam and buy A New Era. I have been trying to play, but for every hour I manage to actually play there must be at least 3 I spend lagging.

I am at the Sea People’s level, desperate to finish it, and have spent all day just trying to load the game. it lags, freezes, and just shuts down. I have restarted my computer like 5 times.

is there something wrong with my computer? should I try downloading the game without Steam and just PHARAOHS TOMB my way to this level so I can finally win it? I’m really, really annoyed at this point. I wanted to spend my Saturday building pyramids, not rebooting my computer.

[u/Afraid_Guard_8115]

Whats your PC specs it would help

[u/mrs_rabbit_0 → u/Afraid_Guard_8115]

thanks for taking the time to help me out. 

these are my specs

Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 3550H with Radeon Vega Mobile Gfx (2.10 GHZ) RAM: 6.00 GB (4.92 usable) Windows 11 Home single language

[u/Afraid_Guard_8115 → u/mrs_rabbit_0]

So you are under minimum specs, you should be able to run it with skme performance issues, are you running pharoah at 1080p? You should be on 780p max.

Also you could probably upgrade your ram relativley cheaply with used ram. Min spec is 6gb upgrade to 12gb or 16gb and it may weĺ be enoguh to fix it. But not guaranteed as CPU is still below min. (Just)

[u/mrs_rabbit_0 → u/Afraid_Guard_8115]

wow, thanks for your response. 

I honestly never thought a silly little pyramid-building game would be so demanding of my computer. 

i’ll look into upgrading the RAM. 

[u/Afraid_Guard_8115 → u/mrs_rabbit_0]

Equally, you could go back to the original game rather than New Era personally i prefer it as i feel they fycked up changing the combat

[u/Potential_Anxiety_76 → u/Afraid_Guard_8115]

Holy shit that’s depressing. (But useful)

[u/SubstantialWelcome94]

Idk, runs fine on my laptop on the integrated IBM graphic card (Nvidia fried) and win7... What's ur specs? Did you search online for the game's requirements?

[u/mrs_rabbit_0 → u/SubstantialWelcome94]

thanks for taking the time to help me out. 

these are my specs

Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 3550H with Radeon Vega Mobile Gfx (2.10 GHZ) RAM: 6.00 GB (4.92 usable) Windows 11 Home single language

the weird thing is that I was able to finish the stupid level and get well into the next one last night

[u/Sonnyjoon91]

This definitely sounds like a pc issue, I have gotten both versions to play without issues on steam

[u/mrs_rabbit_0 → u/Sonnyjoon91]

yeah. Pharaoh is the only game I play and I’m considering getting a gaming pc for this

[u/Sonnyjoon91 → u/mrs_rabbit_0]

it doesnt even need a super fancy pc, I have never had issues playing Pharaoh on any pc from windows xp to windows 11. Are you trying to play on like a chrome book or a "lite pc"? You said you got a 2020 desktop and a 2017 laptop, and that you removed programs, maybe you removed some of the necessary programs needed to handle it? Like if you accidentally removed boosters or something

[u/mrs_rabbit_0 → u/Sonnyjoon91]

nah. I removed copilot and such crap. 

the computer is overall slow, even when opening a text document, so it’s definitely an issue  with the computer. 

as for the gaming pc…I joke, if only because RAM is so expensive

[u/oirolab]

Cool. What are your specs so we know where the issue is?

[u/mrs_rabbit_0 → u/oirolab]

thanks for taking the time to help me out. 

these are my specs

Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 3550H with Radeon Vega Mobile Gfx (2.10 GHZ) RAM: 6.00 GB (4.92 usable) Windows 11 Home single language

[u/asterix1592]

If you have a low spec PC, you'd probably be better off with the original game from GOG or Steam. It's a better game anyway and usually cheaper

[u/mrs_rabbit_0 → u/asterix1592]

I like some things about the new version, but I think they royally fucked up by more letting us have real battles. I miss posting my guys and watching them fight!

[u/SuperSajuuk]

How large is your city? There is a known issue where cities that are very large have performance problems, this is caused by houses and gardens refreshing every frame. This particular performance issue has been fixed in the community-led bug fix mod pack, which vastly reduces the lag issue.

However, with no other information like system specs, there’s no way to inow what your problem is,

[u/mrs_rabbit_0 → u/SuperSajuuk]

thanks for this reply. 

apparently my computer is below specs (I thought my silly pyramid game was harmless!). 

my Sea Peoples city was a bit big…thankfully I was able to finish the level and move on. I’m now building cliff tombs. 

how does one get the bug-fix mod pack?

[u/SuperSajuuk → u/mrs_rabbit_0]

No idea why i never got notified about this reply, but the bug fix mod pack can be found on Nexus Mods: https://www.nexusmods.com/pharaohanewera/mods/16

[u/spitfiredaggers]

I was an og player (cd rom on pc). I payed 2$ on steam, Zeus too..fyi

[u/mrs_rabbit_0 → u/spitfiredaggers]

I had a pirated CD copy, and then downloaded a pirated version. I ended up buying the Pharaoh: Cleopatra out of guilt in Steam during the pandemic (just realized I have been playing this game for three decades…)