This should explain mostly anything and like the previos poster said check
www.firaxis.com for the compatability patch. I know it's there I downloaded before.
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When launching Alpha Centauri. I receive the error message "CPU not supported". My computer has a Pentium 4 or newer CPU.
Answer
You will need to modify a line in the Alpha Centauri.ini that is located in the game folder. To do this:
Double click on My Computer
Double click on the C: Local Drive (your Hard Drive or the drive that the game is installed to)
Double click on the Program Files Folder
Double click on the Firaxis Games Folder
Double click on the Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri Folder]
Double click on the Alpha Centauri.ini File (The file looks like a read me text file with a little gold symbol on it).
Once the file is open in Notepad, change:
ForceOldVoxelAlgorithm=0
to
ForceOldVoxelAlgorithm=1
Be sure to save your changes, then run the game. You may still receive the error message. If it occurs, click OK and the game will load fine.
If you are Installed Sid Meier's Planetary pack then their will be no Alpha Centauri.ini File initially. Upon attemping to play the game and
clicking ok despite CPU being unsupported the ini file will be produced. Then simply change the ForceOldVoxelAlgorithm to 1. Or if necessary copy ini file from original SMAC.
ALSO download the patch that helps XP:
Alpha Centauri (PC) PATCH - Update for XP.
Question
What does this update do?
Answer
This patch will attempt to locate your installation of Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, and defaults to that location, if found. If the patch cannot locate Alpha Centauri, it will default to C:\Program Files\Firaxis Games\Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri.
In this situation, you should ensure the patch installs to the directory that you have installed Alpha Centauri into.
This patch is a Windows 2000/XP compatibility update, to allow users of Windows 2000 or XP to run Alpha Centauri. It is not required for users of Windows 95, 98, or ME. However, users with these operating systems may will need to install this patch if they wish to play multiplayer games with other players who have installed this patch.
There is a known issue with sounds skipping on Windows ME machines. This should not affect the game stability.
