Fubar Save files

[G2B]

One for the books, I got offered a new command end of March 42 out of Fremantle. Sent to Pearl so just for kicks I requested a transfer hoping to get sent back to Fremantle, nope sent to Mare. Here's the kicker left Mare for a patrol area around Celebes, stop at Midway and fuel up, stop at Darwin and fuel up. Fun voyage of sinking anything I found on the way.

Finally arrive on station in early May, complete objective sent to another then another, good patrol lots of lone merchants. I really think command has forgotten about us, usually after 3 maybe 4 objective get the RTB or Happy Hunting message. Not this time, no flash message to reassign to Fremantle either. Fuel running low almost out of fish left objective 5 unfinished after patrolling and sinking 3 merchants in the Makassar Straits, usually after sinking one objective is complete.

Something is amiss, so I open my save files and find all the info about new command and San Francisco and Sea Trials Gato, nothing after that no record of merchants sunk or where I was sent nothing. Here's a new boat take her out for sea trials and here is a mission to Celebes area but don't tell anyone your going there.

For some reason files were not being saved correctly but I was able to save the game normally and reload with no problems, just no info after leaving Mare was ever written :damn: Checked all the file paths and everything seems to be right. It was a great career :wah: Any thoughts on what may have happened?

[magic452]

You were on a top secret mission, so secret they didn't even tell you.
They never heard of you as I just checked. :haha:

That is a strange one, never heard of anything like that.
Kind o' a bad way to loose a good patrol.

Magic

[G2B]

That's what I thought some kind of super double top secret mission.


"Attention Crew! From this point forward we no longer exist, our mission, to find The Flying Dutchman or some very strange looking flying thingies shaped like a disc. We are now the Men In Blue. That is All!" :shifty:

I think my crew is preparing to sedate me heavily :nope:

[G2B]

Now I'm completely :damn: Started a whole new "clean" installation of SH4, loaded mods exactly the same, TMO 1.9 RSRD all the patches couple other little mods no problem. Start a new career out of Manila in 41, save game after leaving port, reload save I get the whole all stop, returning to course, all stop along with ever few seconds PASSING THERMAL LAYER :o while on the surface.

Tried reloading save, no good. Tried restarting career, no good. Tried the surface the boat while on the surface, no good.

Pull all mods out, restart TMO RSRD with all patches, no good.

One more time fresh new copy of sh4, start everything up sitting in the office exit game. Install TMO TMO patch, install RSRD RSRD patch start new career leave Manila, save game. Reload save, all stop, following plotted course, all stop, PASSING THERMAL LAYER every few seconds.
http://i974.photobucket.com/albums/ae228/g2banything/gif/43grandes.gif
Bout at wits end HELP!!!!!!!

[magic452]

I'm by no means a computer geek but here are some things I do.
Uninstall the game and delete all SH4 folders, I use an eraser program.
If you just delete files be sure to empty the recycle bin before installing anything. Don't forget the SH4 folder in "My Documents"

When you reinstall put the game in a different folder ex. old one SH4, new Silent Hunter. Don't use Program Files folder.
I have the game on my E drive and that is the only program on that drive.
Before I reinstall I defrag the drive. Also defrag the drive from time to time. Also after you install the game don't play it but do a full shutdown/restart.

Use fresh copies of all mods not ones used before.
Make sure you delete the Mods folder from JSGME before uninstalling anything else. Delete the mods one at a time not all at once.
I think it was Bubblehead that had a problem with this, about drove him crazy or at least crazier than before.

Install the stock game and run it, ok than add the mods one at a time and run, may find what is causing the problem.

I use to get those bugs before but for some reason they went away by themselves after a time but I didn't have as much a problem as you seem to be having. It would happen only once in a while and I think a new patrol fixed it.

One other thing I never do is Alt/Tab out of the game, I save and quit if I leave the game for short time, Its easier to restart than go through what you're doing now. Alt/tab is a death sentence for me. I use to be able to do it every once in a while but since I put a second install on can't do it now????

Hope all this helps, it's the pits to have these kinds of problems.

Magic

[G2B]

Thanks Magic, What you suggest was my next course of action, uninstall everything and start from scratch. Just wish it did not have to come to this :nope: I just wish I knew what happened to the files to cause such a mess, never had this many problems.


The alt/tab thing is a pain, I was running my resolution just under my full screen so I could pause the game and still have access to everything else around the edges :D works pretty good on a 22" screen.

Thanks

[G2B]

I swear if I hear passing thermal layer one more time, gonna be a crewman holding an anchor passing the thermal layer :damn:


Complete fresh install on separate drive, fresh TMO and RSRD still passing thermal layer every few seconds while on the surface. Save reload no good, no alt tab, just a clean fresh install :shifty:

Back at it, going to rip everything out again :wah:

[G2B]

Not sure how many times I have retried, but with only TMO and RSRD and patches in a clean install by the book still passing thermal layer on the surface. Any Ideas what the issue is?

[magic452]

Have you tried putting the mods in one at a time and tried each out before installing the next, might find out which mod is doing it.
If stock works go to the the mods.

Also dive deep a few times and see if that clears it out.
Dive real deep and crush the bum. :know:

Try just a single patrol and see what happens, maybe something is screwed up in career. Maybe try a different boat.

Just shooting in the dark here but you never know what will work.
You have probably tried all this stuff.

Magic

[G2B]

Now I'm totally stumped........Vanilla 1.5 is FUBAR no mods has the all stop bug and passing thermal layer bug :doh:

I've uninstalled a few times cleaned the registry out reinstalled put TMO in thinking a mod problem, nope, somehow my disc 1.5 version is not working right.

Couple more things to try, if they don't work :damn:

[G2B]

Perhaps I missed a thread at some point or it has just been so long since I have dealt with the Vanilla 1.5 not really sure at this point, The all stop bug is easy enough to deal with, just a click on the nave map to plot course. This passing thermal layer thing is really a P.I.T.A but does go away eventually:doh: I just don't remember ever having this problem before.

[G2B]

I thought I had it fixed, loaded up sim adjusted course, cruising along on the surface enjoying the "ocean". Hurray no passing thermal layer.

Go to flank speed make a hard starboard turn, :damn: PASSING THERMAL LAYER
This is becoming some kinda twisted nightmare :damn: PASSING THERMAL LAYER
You have got to be kidding :damn:PASSING THERMAL LAYER

Either Vanilla 1.5 fresh install, completely clearing out everything I can find on the machine, or with mods PASSING THERMAL LAYER . Find that crewman now http://i974.photobucket.com/albums/ae228/g2banything/gif/killersmiley.gif


I really do not what to do now except maybe completely rip out windows to find him http://i974.photobucket.com/albums/ae228/g2banything/gif/hunter.gif

[G2B]

Thanks for the help Magic :salute:

Oh yeah one other odd thing this problem only shows up in campaign, I ran the Bungo Pete mission with no trouble.

Any ideas would be great, I know I'm missing something and its not the folder in my documents.

[magic452]

Sounds like you got a file leftover from something. There have been 4 or 5 guys on here that had something similar and couldn't find it.

One of the reasons I put everything is some other drive but C, can format and not mess with windows.

I'm out a ideas other than what you are thinking. Good luck, hope you get it.

Magic

[G2B]

I had it on my windows drive, removed it cleaned the registry.
Have or (had at the moment) on another drive. Going through every file,folder, and registry entry I can find that says UBI or Silent Hunter. I wonder if it could be a driver issue :hmmm: slim chance but worth a shot since I just updated to the 197.something or other.

I wonder.......if the missing saves and this issue are related, I have not found any mysteriously misplaced Silent Hunter files. I'm really grasping at straws now.

[G2B]

I had read a couple threads on the bug but did not search every thread, and the ones I had read did not resemble my issue.

O.K. so Passing Thermal Layer is a very strange bug from some of the other threads I've read.

Triggers could possibly vary from saving to close to port, editing save files or editing number of officers to changing boat skins. It is a stock bug issue.

With the trouble I've been going through must be to close to port when saving at the start of a career :shifty:

Thanks Magic, at least one person is willing to put up with a lunatic :salute:

[nappy]

Seems you have tried almost every trick in the book.

heres my suggestion.

try to insall vanilla SH IV on another PC if at all possible. If the problem is there
you KNOW that its the game itself.
if the problem is not there, then you KNOW that you have in fact not been able
to remove all traces of the game when you removed it from your original computer, and
will have to retrace your steps in order to try and figure out what was left beind.

my 0.2 cents anyways.

nappy

[Bosje]

and fresh downloads of the mods, in case you didnt do that
save at sea some 100 nm away from any shores and any contacts so that you're absolutely all alone out there. if you still have the issue then, i'd prolly thrown the computer out of the window and use the game disc as a beer coaster

[WarlordATF]

This is just my thoughts about the strange sounds when loading saves.

I think its either a memory overload issue or the save did not have enough time to complete before the game was continued or exited.

I don't get the Passing Thermal Layer (But i have in the past), mine sounds like a torpedo launching. Its not consistant though, if i return to port and start a new patrol the next save usually is fine. However once it starts its there for all saves until i dock at port.

It seems like the more stuff that has happened on a patrol the more likely i will get the bug, That kinda why i think it may be a memory issue.

Also i noticed that when you save a game your HD recieves a burst of data, then a second or so later a second burst hits. You can clearly hear this by the Hard Drive Chatter, its possible that if you exited the game or resumed it before all the data was written it might cause a bad save. It seems to me that the bug happens less often if i give the game a few minutes after i save before i do anything else.

Like i said, this are just my thoughts in the matter. Kinda like shooting clay pigeons in the dark with a BB gun. :06:

[Urge]

magic452 wrote...
Use fresh copies of all mods not ones used before.
Bosje wrote...
and fresh downloads of the mods, in case you didnt do that

I don't understand why this would help? Are these any different from any other program that you would download and use multiple times? I have reused programs and mods many times with no issues.

Urge

[magic452]

Normally you could reuse mods but he had tried this and was still having the problem. Just might have been a bad mod download or one that got corrupted. We were on a fishing expedition.

Magic

[G2B]

Thanks Every One. My apologies if I seem edgy or insane but this bug is a royal P.I.T.A.

I would have loaded SH4 on my wife's computer but I get that funny look like "What is Wrong with Yours!!!!!?????" So after rummaging through the computer and removing anything and everything I could find of SH4 or UBI, reloaded Vanilla 1.5. Started a new career and sailed about 200 nm from Manila, saved reloaded and no Passing Thermal Layer.

http://i974.photobucket.com/albums/ae228/g2banything/gif/2musicales.gif http://i974.photobucket.com/albums/ae228/g2banything/gif/bananapowerslide.gifhttp://i974.photobucket.com/albums/ae228/g2banything/gif/bananapowerslide.gifhttp://i974.photobucket.com/albums/ae228/g2banything/gif/bananapowerslide.gif


The All Stop bug is still there but that is one that's been around quite awhile and is easy to deal with.

Off to install TMO and RSRD, Vanilla just does not do it, the whole grainy view jello type water and odd sunlight but the interior night lighting is good.

Going with new downloads also, just to be sure.

[Admiral8Q]

The "All stop" bug doesn't bother me, I just hit the ahead standard key. I'm used to that. Also go to the map and hit the follow plotted course icon. :03:

[G2B]

All modded up with no problems :yeah:

Heading up to Lingayen Gulf :D

http://i974.photobucket.com/albums/ae228/g2banything/SH4Img2010-05-21_2255.jpg

[magic452]

I was going to say "Pics or it didn't happen" but you got a pic so I guess everything is good to go.

Give em hell.

Magic