Corrupted saves

[vmialpha454]

My apologies if this has been asked and answered.

I just ran into an issue where I try to load into my most recent saved game and once it reaches 100% the game crashed to desktop. Running rsrdc and rfb. Have applied the memory fix. Is there any way around this that you guys know? I would hate to lose this patrol; it was very lucrative.

[Rockin Robbins]

If you have changed mods at all after you saved the game there is a good chance that you'll crash to desktop on loading. That's normally the problem. You need to know the exact mod configuration that you saved the game at in order to restore successfully.

Alternately, if you have a save from the last time you were in port that should load.

[fireftr18]

If you overwrite saves, the save files eventually get corrupted. Best to save in a new file each time. I'll save while in port (fireftr). Then as I save during patrol, I'll add a number to the save (fireftr1) as needed. When I get back to port, I'll delete all the saves and start over.
There are also some rules from the beginning days of SH4 when computers weren't nearly as powerful as now. Save when nothing is in sensor range, on the surface, clear weather. I haven't had any problems myself, but some of the older people said they have. Apparently, the more happening in the program, the more likely a save file can get corrupted.

[vmialpha454]

Yeah, I was overwriting my saves, so that may have been my problem. I was hoping there was some way to fix that game because I was doing well, but I have just decided to replay it. Thanks for the help.

[Rockin Robbins]

I take a somewhat middle ground. Although I'll make a save just before I enter port at the end of a cruise, and make a new save under a new name (RR Cruise 6) upon leaving port, I save over the top of my present cruise, with replay even, throughout the cruise. I pay no mind to surroundings, whether I'm at sea, whether I'm submerged, whether I'm surrounded by contacts or on an empty ocean, whether I'm within x miles of shore or whether I'm facing Mecca. I've even saved with a torpedo halfway to a target.

No problems ever. And I haven't run the large address modification (I did it manually) until my last campaign. Most of the time I ran with 3.2 MB of memory.

This isn't SH3. Corrupted saves that aren't our fault are just about completely something that doesn't happen. But random events happen, thus my procedure that means I just have to rewind to last time I was in port if it hits the fan.

[Sniper450]

Had the same issue... created a new save each time and haven't had a problem since. It was the overwriting that was the issue for me.

[fitzcarraldo]

Ever I do a new save (camp01, camp02, camp03....), and no problems with saves, with or without traffic. I saved games in middle of great RSRDC battles, and reload the saved game without problems. In fact, SH4 is the most stable platform between the SH series.

Best regards.

Fitzcarraldo

[TorpX]

I agree.

The only time I ever had a bad save was due to a mod soup issue. I've never tried to overwrite saves, though.

[Rockin Robbins]

I just contend that errors we encounter are so random that superstition takes over and we find ourselves doing unnecessary things. Failed saves happen sometimes. Pick an interval that you can live with losing that much cruise time and save at that interval, only oversaving the third or fourth save back. Then you always have a fallback that you can depend on.

But trying to attribute reasons to the failures is just futile. They happen very very infrequently and tend to be unrepeatable. We just don't know why they happen. Could easily be a Windows problem and not even related to the game itself. Could even be an iteraction between Windows, certain hardware configurations and the game. Who knows?

[ColonelSandersLite]

Yeah, I also overwrite all the time and never have bad saves as a result.

I really think RR is right about the superstition thing.

One thing that I know for a certainty is bad for the game though is alt+tabbing, probably also with certain popups (like steam or antivirus) trying to show on top compounding the problem. This screws up the games estimation of your depth in relation to sensors somehow. Easily observable is the condition in which CO2 will not drop after surfacing. The opposite can also happen. I.E. I routinely have targets become alerted to my presence when they shouldn't if I have alt+tabbed. For example, a couple of days ago I was working with a convoy attack test mission and had them detect me while submerged at silent running from over 6,000 yards away.

In general, these days I always save just before I move to intercept and look out for the specific condition above.

[TorpX]

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins

I just contend that errors we encounter are so random that superstition takes over and we find ourselves doing unnecessary things.

...

Could even be an iteraction between Windows, certain hardware configurations and the game. Who knows?

I am inclined to agree.

About the hardware/OS interactions, I used to be able to Alt-Tab out of SH4, without consequences (this with Vista). Now, with Win7, I have problems every time. The worst of these being, that my battery will drain away at triple speed. Not good!

[aanker]

Originally Posted by TorpX

About the hardware/OS interactions, I used to be able to Alt-Tab out of SH4, without consequences (this with Vista). Now, with Win7, I have problems every time. The worst of these being, that my battery will drain away at triple speed. Not good!

Fortunately I have had Zero problems with Win 7, Alt-Tabbing to desktop from SH4, and returning to SH4.

Win 7 was already installed when I bought this computer.

Because I don't want my personal data to be anywhere near the possibility of a hackable 'Cloud', plus I don't like the user interface of Win 8 or Win 10, I bought a backup Win 7 install disk to install Win 7 and the Win7 drivers on any future computer I may build or buy. When I do buy a new computer (if anything happens) I will replace the HD, install Win 7 on it, the Win 7 drivers, and be on my way.

Zip, zap, voilà : )

[Rockin Robbins]

Originally Posted by aanker

Because I don't want my personal data to be anywhere near the possibility of a hackable 'Cloud', plus I don't like the user interface of Win 8 or Win 10, I bought a backup Win 7 install disk to install Win 7 on any future computer I may build or buy. When I do buy a new computer (if anything happens) I will replace the HD, install Win 7 on it, the Win 7 drivers, and be on my way.

Zip, zap, voilà : )

It isn't quite that simple. First you have to crowbar Windows 8, 8.1 or 10 to let you boot from a normal disk without UEFI. That means you have to get into the system BIOS, carefully guarded by the new Windows malware. You must turn UEFI off in the advanced BIOS settings. That way you can boot Windows 7.

At that point you can just do a transplant of hard drives from your old computer to the new one and boot the system. Bam! You're in business with an asterisk.

The asterisk is that you'll have to reactivate Windows. Do it by phone call--it's an automated process and it works every time.

So it's more like zip, zap, fiddle, fiddle but so far (and I look for that to change as Microsoft's fangs continue to grow) you can make a computer made for Windows 8 or above boot Windows 7.

[aanker]

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins

It isn't quite that simple. First yuo ehav ot rcrowab Iswnwdo 8, 8.1 or 10 tenw Sidwnow oobt Owdiwns ......... .............. ..... ... .......... ......... ....... ...... above boot Windows 7.

If I can't do it myself, when the time comes that I do need to do it, those issues will have been addressed and solutions found.

Thank you

[G7eT2]

Hey vmialpha454,

Sometimes you can make a troublesome save work by loading a single mission or earlier campaign save first, and then loading the reluctant save from there.

It may require more than one try.