Mod Load Order - Questions

[Meridian]

Could someone take a quick look over my load order and let me know if its OK.

I have a few issues and am trying to narrow them down.

01 RFB_v1.4
02 RSRDC_RFBv14_V390
03 Optical Targeting Correction for RFB 1.4
03 OTC_1.4_Realistic Scopes for 8 to 5 Aspect Ratio
04 Natural Sinking Mechanics 4 classic
Webster's Missing Voices
Webster's Better Mouse Arrow v2
Webster's Better Waterline Colors for v1.4
Webster's No more Cheers
ISE #1 ISE Improved Stock Environment v3
ISE #3 ISE Realistic Colors


Thanks

[CapnScurvy]

Originally Posted by Meridian

Could someone take a quick look over my load order and let me know if its OK.

I have a few issues and am trying to narrow them down.

01 RFB_v1.4
02 RSRDC_RFBv14_V390
03 Optical Targeting Correction for RFB 1.4
03 OTC_1.4_Realistic Scopes for 8 to 5 Aspect Ratio
04 Natural Sinking Mechanics 4 classic
Webster's Missing Voices
Webster's Better Mouse Arrow v2
Webster's Better Waterline Colors for v1.4
Webster's No more Cheers
ISE #1 ISE Improved Stock Environment v3
ISE #3 ISE Realistic Colors


Thanks

Where in the world did you get the RSRDC v390?? That mod hasn't been around for years?! As far as I know it isn't listed with the other RSRDC versions in the "Downloads" section of this forum.

OTC for RFB v1.4 was not made compatible with RSRDC v390. It may, or may not, work with your other mods either. Nor, should you expect them to work with OTC (unless they specifically state they do). I think you're learning a lesson in mod combining.....not all mods will work with each other.

The thing you need to learn is what changes does one mod make to another IF they are combined. Sometimes the changes will make no difference, sometimes you won't even know what is missing....you'll just get a CTD every time you start the game. It's called "Mod Soup", and it's not usually tasty.

Specifically, to have the "Length" show in the OTC Recognition Manual, the OTC Menu/"menu_1024_768.ini" file, and the Roster/"Names.cfg" file must be intact (as written by OTC) in order for the proper ships to show their lengths. Any mod that modifies these files that are "Activated" in JSGME AFTER OTC will damage the OTC modification. I don't know if your list does this, but if they do....there's your reason for the Lengths not to show.

Since OTC wasn't made "compatible" for RSRDC v390, any ships it adds to the game probably won't show lengths either.....or, you'll run the risk of getting a CTD because OTC wasn't expecting to have the RSRDC files added to RFB.

I hope this makes sense, but "modding beware" lies on the shoulders of the folks modding their game.

[Meridian]

Thanks for the reply Cap.

Don't worry, I have been adding mods to games for a longggg time and realize what can and may happen.

It's just that I haven't played Silent Hunter for a while and getting back into it I thought I'd run my mod list past people that are a bit more up to date than I am.

The RSRDC v390 mod I managed to dig up off an old DVD I had burnt ages ago.

But as you mentioned about merging, that's what I am doing atm is going through things to see where there are overwrites and then checking to see if I can merge them.

Cheers


EDIT: Just found the ship length data, it was in "Names.cfg", which had been overwritten, so I just merged that that

[CapnScurvy]

Hope it works out

I never know how much experience someone may have with computers/modding......so I usually try to explain things as if you're starting out. Some one else may read this post and say.....Oh, I didn't know that!

The OTC "Names.cfg" file may work just fine with RSRDC v390. I know RSRDC usually adds ships to its mod. The Names.cfg that's in that OTC download is RSRDC compatible (although, I'm not 100% sure about v390).

One thing you may run into is RSRDC changes the "UnitType" on a couple of its ships. Because of this, there may be a conflict. A way to check is to run the "Museum". If you can access all ships/planes in the Museum while just running RFB v1.4 and RSRDC v390......then add OTC for RFB 1.4, and there are no CTD's, you're OK. If you get a CTD after adding OTC, then you'll need to track down the particular ship/plane in OTC and change the "UnitType=" figure to whatever RSRDC is using.

As a general rule, looking at the Museum ship/planes is a great way of checking game assets to see if they are functional or not. If they don't fly correctly (no sound, or they crash/sink after a short period), or cause a CTD while shown in the Museum.......they will do the same while in-game.

[Meridian]

Damn, I fell at the first hurdle.

Good tip about the Museum, I had forgot about that. So I loaded it up and got as far as the Balao. Clicked on the next one and CTD, that was just with RFB installed and nothing else.

Did I miss a patch somewhere?

[CapnScurvy]

Just with RFB v1.4?

I'll see what happens when I run it within a v1.4 of SH4.

I don't think RFB v1.4 has a patch.

[CapnScurvy]

OK, I first checked my install of SH4 v1.4 with the JSGME "Tasks...." Compare Snapshot feature (where it compares your newly installed game folders/files {as long as you took a Snapshot of them after first installing the game} with the present game folders/files) and found the files to be all in order (the app will declare if the files are SAME/NEW/REMOVED). I then activated RFB v1.4, ran the game, opened the Museum, and I too had CTD's with the RFB American submarines. Actually I ran the game several times, trying to pin point the problem submarine.....one time the Balao was fine, the following sub in the list (the Gar) CTD the game. The next time my first choice of subs (a Porpoise) was fine....the Balao caused a CTD!?! There's something stinkn' going on here!!

I've got to admit, some of the sounds of the ships are terrible too. I ran through all of the Japanese assets....all were fine except for the engine sounds. Like the U.S. versions, the Jap Heavy Cruisers have their engine sound volume turned really low, while some of the Carriers sound like a 52' Buick without a muffler!!

I'm going to see what OTC will do to the Museum assets, better/worse/the same? I'll try to run down the problem with the RFB files.

However, as the RFB v1.4 download says.....They are not supporting the mod. Maybe for good reason!

[Meridian]

Yeah I saw the "no support Thread too", which is why I didn't push the issue. So I thought, I'll try the 1.5 version, guess what? CTD in the museum.

[CapnScurvy]

What version of SH4 are you running. It's version 1.4 isn't it?

Although I don't remember if RFB v1.52 is for version 1.4 or 1.5 of the game......make sure your using the correct version of RFB to suit your SH4 game. Do not use RFB 2.0 if you have only version 1.4 of Silent Hunter. It's only to be used with SH4 v1.5.

==========

As a follow up, the problem is in the .sim files found in the RFB 1.4 "Data/Submarine/NSS_submarine_name" folders. I've tried looking at these files from left to right....upside down...right side up to figure out why they are causing the CTD. Removing the RFB submarine_name.sim file will allow the Museum to work as expected from all sub folders. I even took the stock .sim files and simply added the RFB parameters to it (the stock game .sim files work fine with the other RFB files), but the game still CTD.

My conclusion is there's something in the RFB .sim files that are causing the CTD...something I can't find within the "unit_Submarine" parameters. I know it's in this section because its the only stock .sim section I changed to match the RFB .sim file which still gave a CTD when put in-game.

To fix the problem.....just copy/paste each NSS_submarine_name.sim file out of the Data/Submarine/NSS_submarine_name/ folders. This won't leave you with the sub having the parameters that RFB intended, but it won't give you a CTD either.

[Meridian]

Thanks for the help.

RFB 1.52 was for SH 1.5.

I'm using different installs. I have 1.4 and 1.5 and a clean install I keep as a backup in case things go South.

I was using v2.0 in the 1.5 install and RFB 1.4 in 1.4, the last one released for that version.

EDIT: Just went through those sim files, CTD with the Balao, S18, Sargo and Tambor.

EDIT 2: Took the sim files from RFB 2 SH1.5 and tried with those, no CTD.

[CapnScurvy]

Originally Posted by Meridian

Took the sim files from RFB 2 SH1.5 and tried with those, no CTD.

I was going to try that next, but after messing around with the v1.4 files for about 6 hours yesterday......I couldn't sit any longer.

I just don't understand why taking the v1.4 stock game .sim files (that did not cause a CTD when used with the other RFB 1.4 files) and hand editing the parameters of the "unit_Submarine" from RFB into them, caused the stock files to CTD?!? Today I'm going to try to look at the RFB v2.0 .sim files and compare them with RFB v1.4......there's got to be something in the comparision that's different.

Anyway, that's great you have no CTD when running the Museum with the v2.0 files, AND you'll get the intended modifications RFB has for the subs. If I can verify that adding the RFB v2.0 files to v1.4 will not create some other glich, I may add them to the download of "OTC for RFB 1.4"......we will see.

[CapnScurvy]

As was posted earlier in this thread, it seems the issue with the CTD's during the RFB v1.4 "Museum" visit is indeed related to the RFB v1.4 NSS_SubName.sim file (all of the American subs are effected).

I compared the RFB v1.4 .sim file to it's cousin RFB 2.0 file (with its latest Patch.....April 23, 2010). I have concluded that it is so far "off center" that the issue is "self inflected". I don't know exactly why.......but the parameters within the v1.4 .sim file are far from the stock game parameters, and far from the later RFB 2.0 April 23, 2010 Patch files. So far "off" that the game just won't allow the American Subs to show within the Museum without a CTD. I'm not going to get into the specifics, but rest assured some of the parameters RFB v1.4 had for the subs were extremely "off base" (Engine Horsepower; Engine RPM; Gravity Center; Dive Flooding Time; etc.)....aparently so off base, the game would crash.

Applying the April 23, 2010 Patch files to RFB v1.4 seems to remedy the situation. As of this date 7/25/2015, a corrected "OTC for RFB v1.4" has been uploaded to MediaFire that will correct the issue. It adds the RFB 2.0 Patch .sim files to RFB v1.4 with no problem to game play. The link has also been added to the Optical Targeting Correction thread.

[Meridian]

Thanks again Cap for all the work.

[CapnScurvy]

And.......thanks to you Meridian for pointing out the issue.

Although OTC wasn't the culprit, it can be the cure. I always feel a bit responsible if a problem pops up while one of my mods (that's supposed to be compatible with another mod) are involved.