[REL] FOTRS Ultimate Project

[Capt Dave J. Harper]

Originally Posted by torpedobait

Have you tried running ONLY the FOTARS Ultimate mod without all the other possibly conflicting mods you listed? It is hard to tell from the punctuation, but do you also load another version of FOTARS after the FOTARS Ultimate mod? I wouldn't think you want to do that. It would defeat the purpose of FOTARS Ultimate (assuming it would run, which I doubt). I don't know about adding the RFB, RSRDC, and TMO mods after FOTARS Ultimate either. Seems like that is asking for trouble in running the game. From everything I've seen over the last months, the FOTARS Ult. team has made significant changes to many files, and you may be asking for trouble getting the game to run by adding other major mod components.

I do run a couple of what have proven to be harmless small mods that make it more enjoyable for me, including one to "unmark" the sub by removing the icon that shows on the surface over my boat, one that increases underwater visibility, and one that stops the crew from shouting after the boat takes damage. I add those after first testing the new releases of FOTARS Ultimate and have noticed no adverse impacts. As for what you have added, there may be conflicts between those files that produce strange results. However, you are the captain and it's your choice.

Good luck!

yeah sorry about my punctuation{or lack thereof} it was late when i typed that,my grammer and such is crap anyway but i could of cleaned it up..i listed the mods i have in my mods folderim only activateing FOTRS when im having my issues im starting to think it might be an issue with steam(thats how i have the game) ive got ver 1.5 cause i have the uboat missions thing too but as i said a few posts ago i think ill just stop trying to get this to work right now and go back to trigger maru ill wait till yall get a stable release my issue now though(posted it above) is now JSGME pops an error when i try to start TMOi forget the full thing but its saying it cant find the path specfied yet i start JSGME again(after it pops the error and freezes with the activation bar on the bottem right full) and i activate it and i dont get the error im afraid to run my game cause ill break it and/or TMO as before ii started trying to get the mod to work i never had any errors

[propbeanie]

Look in the MODS folder of your computer Capt Dave J. Harper, and see if it's still there. You may have a mangled SH4 install now also. I'll ask these same questions again though:

1. Which Windows OS do you have, and is it 32-bit or 64-bit?
2. What directory do you have SH4 installed in?

When mention is made of "Windows Protected", it has nothing to do with users allowed on the computer. Here's Microsoft's explanation of Windows File Protection. They started getting more into the technology back in the Windows 2000 Pro / Windows NT Server days, in an attempt to keep the user from harming their (MS) OS on your computer, and upping their (MS) tech support costs. It has blossomed beyond User Access Control (UAC) into something much more involved.

Suffice to say, you do NOT want to install a game like Silent Hunter 3, 4 or 5 in the Program Files directory, whether it'd be "C:\ Program Files" or "C:\ Program Files (x86)". Or even the Program Data folder nearby. Any attempt to alter files in "Windows Protected Files" territory without use of Windows itself will result in Windows rolling back all changes caught to a previous state, with no user intervention necessary nor wanted. This includes "Mods" and could well be part of your issue.

[propbeanie]

Originally Posted by jldjs

Was completing a mission out of Surabaya that started mid-February '42 when reveived message to all Asiatic fleet boats to change base to Perth. But, anchor is still tilted at Surabaya, so I went there to complete this mission arriving Feb 28 '42 at 01:34. After refitting, accepted a new patrol to South China Sea that started Feb 28 '42 at 00:00 hours! Quick refit huh! Even turned back time. And, anchor is still tilted at Surabaya, not Perth. Forgot to add this image,


Just making you aware if you didn't know already.
But, on the bright side, the sonar "issue" seems to be fixed, other than for the Submarine School Torpedo Attack mission I encountered the other day.
No problems installing Beta 62, have run thru a few missions starting Jan '42 with no in mission problems.
Happy to be aboard Boss

Back to this jldjs... I only found the one potentially bad date in the flotillas.upc file. I really don't know how it got by us anyway in the first place. CapnScurvy, cdrsubron7, s7rikeback and myself have been through the files multiple times (with flotillas.upc being in my perview). My mind might be slipping, but I'm almost certain that CapnScurvy and cdrsubron7 both pointed it out, and I could have sworn that it was "fixed", but alas, not so...

1940 and 1944 were leap years in Real Life, although we suspect that Silent Hunter: Wolves of the Pacific knows nothing of leap years anyway, so a date of February 29th, 1941 would be a potential double-whammy if hit. This could explain the "lost Home Port" phenomenon also - maybe... But Surabaya is supposed to "close" on February 28, 1941, and Fremantle is supposed to become active on February 29, 1941, which as stated, is NOT a leap year. Next FotRSU run will have February 27 & February 28 dates, just to avoid the issue altogether (hopefully). That said, I don't think your situation would have been any different jldjs. I think that since the base was still "active" when you came in, it allowed you to dock, but since it was being "de-activated" and moved to Fremantle, it spit you right back out, assignment and all.

[Capt Dave J. Harper]

windows 7 64 bit i have SH4 via STEAM steams instaslled to the default directory ive never had any issues with any mods before but that directory for me is as follows c-program files(x86)steam-steam apps-common ive NEVER had any issues with sh4 before untill i tried FOTRS(barring the typical crashes in sh4 at extreme time compression ie 8000 in pearl harbor)and my game for as long as theve been avalible on steam has ALWAYS been in the above directory i wouldent know if/how it could be changed and if doing so would mess up my other steam games

[propbeanie]

Yeah, Pearl at 8096 is definitely not advised...

When you activate TMO in SH4, it overwrites some, but not all of the game. Some of the stuff "sticks", some of it doesn't. But you'll not notice issues too much with it if MS rolls back part of the mod, except in a few select areas. FotRS Ultimate overwrites quite a bit of the game, and has more "incompatible" portions in what it does than TMO does, so you'll definitely notice problems if MS rolls a portion of it back. It doesn't seem to have issues with dds & jpg files, but cfg files will almost always get rolled back.

Since you can't get TMO to load, I'd say that your install is in a "mod soup" state, of the undesired kind. Copy the mods in your MODS folder somewhere for safekeeping, and get rid of your My Documents / SH4 folder contents. Log into Steam on your computer and uninstall SH4 from where you have it. Refer to
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...21#post2297821

where dodoubla mentions using the Steam Settings to install into something like "C:\ Games \ Steam \ Silent Hunter..." or something memorable to you, without too long of a naming structure. I forget what the character limit for some of the older apps is, but I've hit it before... You get the game out of that Windows File Protection Program (twist on the words there), and life should get a little easier for modding. You'll probably also find a few more things about TMO to like...

Here's a "shot" of my Steam App on my computer:



You first hit the "Steam" (1) menu upper left, then choose the "Settings" (2 is what that displays) from it. You can also get there through the "View" menu - which to me, that's not confusing at all... Once there, select the "Downloads" (3), which re-populates the window on the right for you to click on "Steam Library Folders" (4), which then gives you the little box below, by (5) to "Add Library Folder". I did "Games \ Steam" for mine, but it will still add in the whole "steamapps \ common \ GameName" structure when you install something, so just using one folder should take you deep enough from the "root" of the drive... Hopefully, someone will chime in with a shorter, more concise technique...

btw, I had to call in my "expert consultant" on this, my seventeen year old son - 'cause I couldn't remember how I did it before...

Edit: The Steam Support Site method has the manual way also...

[Capt Dave J. Harper]

well ive uninstalled and verified my game every time ive tried this mess im gonna try one more time to get TMO to work cause at least i know it does(barring me having mucked up my game) i will at somepoint return to FOTRS but at this point i just wanna terrorize jap shipping lol

[artuitus]

If I'm reading this correctly then .62 fixes the sonar man not earning his keep? And all this time I Thought he was just in a food coma from eating his weight in ice cream each patrol. Loving the mod so far though I think the enemy has NVG or something since I can't approach on the surface at any range o.O Other than that and the lack of duds this is amazing-makes SH4 into what it should have been at release instead of the arcade BS we got stuck with.

[propbeanie]

Yes, CapnScurvy finally figured out a way to sneak some rum to the lush at the sonar cans. He's not to be trusted though, and must be under 24 hour watch... you never know when he'll revert.

Be sure you're getting the Game Play Settings the way you want them in the Captain's Office on-shore before you go out, which is done by clicking on the radio that sits on top of the left-hand side book cases. If you did that, and you're still not getting any duds, I'll trade you my torps... Last test mission out June 1942, I had five duds in a row to start the patrol... got three good ones, then another four in a row... yikes! I don't mind depth charge attacks and having to slink away quietly after an attack, but when four vessels get away because of duds... it can be very frustrating...

As for being seen, I've been shot at and hit by a shore installation in early 1942 from over 9200 yards out, at about 0100 hours, no moon... Time Compression is not your friend in enemy waters if you're on the surface and don't have radar. If you have radar, use it, hide and identify. Then plan the attack. In its present state, FotRSU is more difficult than TMO 2.5 in several key areas, especially in DD behavior, airplane behavior, ship behavior and land-based units behavior ( practically the whole game )... they all have the potential to be "superman". We have arbitrarily turned down some of the crew efficiency in the TaskForce layers, else you couldn't get within 10k of them, and you'd have 10 DD doing the wagon wheel on top of you, but we want to tweak the AI a bit once we get everything else in place first, so we know what's what to begin with. Carry on, sailor. Excellent report!

[propbeanie]

I finally got around to rendering the Circle Runner I had the other day, so without further ado, for your viewing enjoyment, I give you


This is about 2 and a half minutes worth of over an hour of recording test missions from the other day... sheesh... and this is the most exciting part... - Notice the heading of my boat, and the bearing to target in the Sonar Room - might be a contributing factor... ya think?...

[Capt Dave J. Harper]

gotta love what i presume was a mark14..... they love to chase there tails

[Bubblehead1980]

Originally Posted by propbeanie

I finally got around to rendering the Circle Runner I had the other day, so without further ado, for your viewing enjoyment, I give you


This is about 2 and a half minutes worth of over an hour of recording test missions from the other day... sheesh... and this is the most exciting part... - Notice the heading of my boat, and the bearing to target in the Sonar Room - might be a contributing factor... ya think?...

Ah the old circle runner. I am rather anal about watching where my torpedos are heading now that i lost a great career a month or so ago (USS Jack) to a Mark 18 circle run on surface at night in 1944.

So the visible damage was modeled well. How did it affect your boat? Surely your sub was ruined?

How well player subs take torpedo hits in Sh4 has long annoyed me. A torpedo hit doomed a sub.I've tried playing around with it but like almost everything in this sim its either or.

[propbeanie]

Well, I had one hit the shears a while back and detonate while playing - er, "testing" - FotRSU. Ruined the scopes of course, but there weren't any issues with coming out on the conn when surfaced. Had another hit towards the aft torpedo room that was a dud. I don't think there was any flooding at all from that, and I don't recall as there was even any hull damage... can't remember for certain. That was in TMO 2.5. I've had a few others that missed me somehow. You could hear them go by, but why the sonar guy doesn't say something is beyond me.

This one pretty well holed the hull, as you could see, and in an old Sugar boat, you noticed an immediate change in orientation, started to corkscrew a bit, with the tail down, and dropped to 60 ft and more right away. Blew the tanks and did get to the surface. I did not save, but wish I would have, because I did not look at the damage screen. I was too focused on "I gotta sink that dad-blamed sub." I had shot 3 previous torps at it, two of which hit the moving tanker on a parallel course (which I then missed when I tried to hit it... ). I think my sonarman helped me and changed the focus or something because at the time, there was like 12-15 degrees difference in bearing. Anyway, you hear my sub's damage report immediately after the hit, but the deck gun worked, so... I forgot about the rest, and lo and behold, about 15 minutes later, we started submerging again. Took a while, but... - I do wish they had an "Abandon Ship" button in there, with the life rafts, but alas, all you do is spiral down into the black until you encounter "crush depth", which wasn't very deep with a hole like that in the boat...

That was the first time I've been sunk by a torpedo. I've had bombs land on the deck, in the conn, behind the conn, and survived probably about 1/2 of them, though heavily damaged in all cases. I've been holed a few times with what I'm going to guess was 5" shells, survived once, died untold times (super human accuracy in FotRSU). I've been hit by shore emplacements twice, survived one, and sank really fast in another (probably multiple guns, multiple hits). Add all of them together, and they probably don't even equal one tenth of the times I've been depth-charged into "Game Over"... - on the other side of that, I've had to put 2-3 torps into enemy subs to get them to go down...

[CapnScurvy]

Originally Posted by jldjs

I installed Beta 62 and as I usually do, I go to Submarine school, torpedo exercise, and shoot the warship. As with Beta 60, beta 62 it does not keep the lock (L key) on the ship with Porpoise at periscope depth with ship seen. Cap'n explained that this would happen if the target is visual. Ok, but with Beta 56 (and TMO, et al) the target remains locked under the same situation.
Is this because the ship is not "heard" by passive hydrophone? It is doing 9 knots!
I'm confused if "this" is a stock problem, then why does it seem to be ok with Beta 56 (TMO)?

I decided to "go to school" with FOTRS Ultimate v0.62 on a clean JSGME "Compared Snapshot" stock game. Jldjs, you say the Propoise sub does not keep the "Lock" on the target. There are two versions of the torpedo attack....one called "Torpedo Attack EZ", the other "Torpedo Attack Difficult". I ran both, the following images are from the "Difficult" version:



The School test mission has the Porpoise starting at -15 meters, the depth of the Porpoise at Periscope Depth is -17 meters. The above "Depth Dial" shows the needle at periscope depth....56 ft (17meters). I had to strike the "P" key to go to Periscope Depth in order to test things as you stated.

The same approaching Cruiser from the periscope station @ 305 Relative Bearing:



I've got a "lock" on target with it approaching at 12 kts.

I followed it as it passed in front of the sub, some Sampans passed by the scope....still had a good "lock":



I continued to mess around with the game, changed views, went to the conning tower, back to the periscope station, out to the external camera:



....the "lock" stayed with the Cruiser:



The Cruiser is getting out of range now, but the "lock" held throughout the mission.

I don't understand the problem....there isn't any as I see. I suggest you have an issue that's self inflicted. Either with your game having "mod soup", your stock game is corrupted, or with the "Realism" settings you MAY be using. If you've got your "Realism" settings at a level that changes the behavior of the game....what do you expect to happen?

[J0313]

Originally Posted by CapnScurvy

I decided to "go to school" with FOTRS Ultimate v0.62 on a clean JSGME "Compared Snapshot" stock game. Jldjs, you say the Propoise sub does not keep the "Lock" on the target. There are two versions of the torpedo attack....one called "Torpedo Attack EZ", the other "Torpedo Attack Difficult". I ran both, the following images are from the "Difficult" version:



The School test mission has the Porpoise starting at -15 meters, the depth of the Porpoise at Periscope Depth is -17 meters. The above "Depth Dial" shows the needle at periscope depth....56 ft (17meters). I had to strike the "P" key to go to Periscope Depth in order to test things as you stated.

The same approaching Cruiser from the periscope station @ 305 Relative Bearing:



I've got a "lock" on target with it approaching at 12 kts.

I followed it as it passed in front of the sub, some Sampans passed by the scope....still had a good "lock":



I continued to mess around with the game, changed views, went to the conning tower, back to the periscope station, out to the external camera:



....the "lock" stayed with the Cruiser:



The Cruiser is getting out of range now, but the "lock" held throughout the mission.

I don't understand the problem....there isn't any as I see. I suggest you have an issue that's self inflicted. Either with your game having "mod soup", your stock game is corrupted, or with the "Realism" settings you MAY be using. If you've got your "Realism" settings at a level that changes the behavior of the game....what do you expect to happen?

I had that happen to me and all I did was raise my scope a little higher and it maintained lock. I think he isn't raising his scope high enough.

[Immelmann]

Now running V 0.62 and submerged quiet I am hearing whale song for the first time that I can remember. Is that an Easter Egg added by the mod devs? I don't remember ever hearing this before in SH4. Is it new or have I just not been paying close enough attention?