[REL] FOTRS Ultimate Project

[Rockin Robbins]

Well, there is the good, the bad and the cursed. Yes we have a cursed ship in FOTRS Ultimate and it's been tormenting us for a long time. Fortunately, unless you're specifically looking for it, you're unlikely ever to encounter it.

Yes, we're talking about the infamous Battleship Bismark. Somewhere in the dark history of FOTRS, long before we got involved, the Bismark was cursed. Originally we believe the Bismark was taken from GWX and improperly converted to SH4. In the process two spellings crept into the Bismark files, "Bismark" and its cursed name, "Bismarck."

Then "Bismarck" infiltrated campaign, mission and configuration files, basically screwing up the way SH4 handles the ship. Hoping we finally fixed it I made a quick mission to test it out. Bismark was out there and the sonar operator announced "merchant. Bearing 359. Long range." This couldn't be good. Suddenly Bismark emerged from the rain and before I could submerge, loosed a mighty broadside in my general direction. As the first shell touched my sub the entire game crashed and my computer froze. Oops.

[cdrsubron7]

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins

Well, there is the good, the bad and the cursed. Yes we have a cursed ship in FOTRS Ultimate and it's been tormenting us for a long time. Fortunately, unless you're specifically looking for it, you're unlikely ever to encounter it.

Yes, we're talking about the infamous Battleship Bismark. Somewhere in the dark history of FOTRS, long before we got involved, the Bismark was cursed. Originally we believe the Bismark was taken from GWX and improperly converted to SH4. In the process two spellings can rept into the Bismark files, "Bismark" and its cursed name, "Bismarck."

Then "Bismarck" infiltrated campaign, mission and configuration files, basically screwing up the way SH4 handles the ship. Hoping we finally fixed it I made a quick mission to test it out. Bismark was out there and the sonar operator announced "merchant. Bearing 359. Long range." This couldn't be good. Suddenly Bismark emerged from the rain and before I could submerge, loosed a mighty broadside in my general direction. As the first shell touched my sub the entire game crashed and my computer froze. Oops.

I created a mission called Maximum Effort which worked fine in 0.29 and when I tried tonight it crashed almost immediately in 0.30. I hope the caldron is still boiling. The Bismarck is part of this mission.

[Rockin Robbins]

Originally Posted by cdrsubron7

I created a mission called Maximum Effort which worked fine in 0.29 and when I tried tonight it crashed almost immediately in 0.30. I hope the caldron is still boiling. The Bismarck is part of this mission.

Bismarck must die!
Between Bismark and Bismarck there's only room in this town for one of them. They work like matter and antimatter, annihilating each other when in contact. In fact, the reaction is so strong that it locked up Silent Hunter 4, WINE and Ubuntu, forcing me to reset my computer after the Curse of the Bismarck was unleashed by a single shell hitting my submarine.

Who ever thought that a misspelling could be so consequential? The name is "Bismark!" "Bismarck," wherever it came from, whenever it inflicted our planet, must die!



Oh Crap!!!! It's invaded the Mission Editor too! This is cockroaches on steroids......

[propbeanie]

OK, all MIS files, when looked at in a text editor, should have Bismarck calls like this:

Maximum Effort
-------------
[Group 1.Unit 5]
Name=_GE Bismarck#1 - shows up in periscope, the display name
Class=BBBismark - actual "internal" name in game
Type=19
Origin=German
Side=2


Sink the Bismarck
----------------
[Unit 1]
Name=_GE Bismarck#1
Class=BBBismark
Type=19
Origin=German
Side=2

well, except for the orange parts of course... In the Mission Editor, all should have a "C" in them, but the game will still call for "Bismark" with "BBBismark" lines. I don't think we can do a ~thing~ about the ninny at the sonar station though, until you're back to port...

cdrsubron7's mission crashed as soon as radar contact was established, but your test mission there RR waited until physical contact was made... I don't understand that, as opposed to the radar... what's the diff between a radar contact and a sonar contact?... and, why is the vessel mis-identified as a merchant? Is that what kept your test mission it from crashing earlier?... I wonder what "sound" is associated with the vessel that the sonar picks up?

[Rockin Robbins]

Originally Posted by propbeanie

OK, all MIS files, when looked at in a text editor, should have Bismarck calls like this:

Maximum Effort
-------------
[Group 1.Unit 5]
Name=_GE Bismarck#1 - shows up in periscope, the display name
Class=BBBismark - actual "internal" name in game
Type=19
Origin=German
Side=2


Sink the Bismarck
----------------
[Unit 1]
Name=_GE Bismarck#1
Class=BBBismark
Type=19
Origin=German
Side=2

well, except for the orange parts of course... In the Mission Editor, all should have a "C" in them, but the game will still call for "Bismark" with "BBBismark" lines. I don't think we can do a ~thing~ about the ninny at the sonar station though, until you're back to port...

cdrsubron7's mission crashed as soon as radar contact was established, but your test mission there RR waited until physical contact was made... I don't understand that, as opposed to the radar... what's the diff between a radar contact and a sonar contact?... and, why is the vessel mis-identified as a merchant? Is that what kept your test mission it from crashing earlier?... I wonder what "sound" is associated with the vessel that the sonar picks up?

Absolutely not! The name then, now and forever is Bismark. There never was, is not and never will be a Bismarck. Search and destroy "Bismarck" and replace with "Bismark" everywhere in the Milky Way Galaxy!

Truly, I never want to see "Bismarck" anywhere again. Where's our exorcist? I'll take a good witch doctor in a pinch.

[propbeanie]

Hail-Lo s7rikeback, you got the Names.cfg? I'll get the two - er, three - missions with Bismarck and make them "Bismark". There is no fix for that sonar though, that I know of, yet...

[Hitman]

The name then, now and forever is Bismark. There never was, is not and never will be a Bismarck

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bismarck_(Schiff,_1939)

[propbeanie]

... and "Copy that" Hitman. That's what we were trying to deal with. The Sea is Bismarck. The dude was Bismarck. The ship was Bismarck. However, Silent Hunter Three said it was Bismark, no "C", see? ... We'd been trying to get it to where at least the user saw "Bismarck" but the game would see "Bismark", but it is too confusing to keep straight, even for those who know to be careful with the name. Therefore, we're (at this time) going with "Bismark" so that the game runs correctly, no ifs ands or butts about it, with the one spelling "error" of Bismark, and apparently, a misidentifying of the vessel on sonar as a merchant (I don't understand that one just yet)... In order to "fix" the spelling, every line of every file of the whole ship has to be gone through. DAT, DSD, EQP, SIM, SNS, TGA, DDS, VAL, ZON, etc., and there are multiples of some of those. Not only that, but several other GE vessels are "built" upon the "Bismark" (not Bismarck), and ~they~ would all have to be changed, all files... Maybe at some point in the future, someone will be bored with life, and endeavor to undertake the task, and accomplish it, but not us at this time.

In the meantime, in the Google Drive for the CTDs is the "612_BismarkNoC.7z" fixit, which has the Names.cfg, and three mission files in it that work together. We'll want s7rikeback to double-check the propbeanie's "work", and everybody give it a go. I do have "fotograffic" evidence it does work. I'm going over to fotobukkett now for some uploads and links later...

[Caustic]

Just passing through monitoring the progress of this project. This takes me back to the "glory days" of SH4. Just a few questions, are the historical layers from RSRDC incorporated into FOTRS? Such as all of the Solomon Island battles for example and all of the detailed task force layers in RSRDC?

Regardless, i'm looking forward to a new campaign experience, having never played FOTRS.

[propbeanie]

No, no RSRDC. Only AOTD_MadMax from v2 of Fall of the Rising Sun, at this time. This is actually more difficult than TMO, in more ways than one right now, and we haven't even begun to tweak the enemy's AI hardly, other than to take out quite a few SubHunter groups, 'cause you died... most every time. If you got away from one, the next gotcha...

We're not going "historical", and we don't plan on that. However, if you want to, we'll be "publishing" all the documentation of the files, and you could do a mod based upon RSRDC - hint hint hint - with proper permissions, of course.

[Rockin Robbins]

Emergency! Emergency! Either put the hit on Hitman or change reality.....or something. Propbeanie, you were right all along!

Cancel red alert. I was right, just 180 degrees off. I'm in an alternate universe here?

New, new instructions (bang, zoom Hitman! To the moon! How DARE you tell the truth!) ahem.....Bismarck is in. Bismark is out. Global search and destroy: find "Bismark" replace with "Bismarck." Wow, that just looks wrong. But it's obviously right.

Look, as Americans, don't we have the unquestioned right to trash any language we want? Can't we MAKE it Bismark and dare anyone to say differently? It worked for Munchen. It worked for Deutshland. It worked for Firenza. Should work for Bismarck.......shouldn't it? Italia our patootie, darn it, you're Italy! America has spoken and you're toast!

Naw, let's conform to reality even if it WOULD be more fun to change it.

[propbeanie]

Ratz... and I just got finished "testing" the Bismark with no "C"... I'm going to post some of it anyway, since it's so fun:

OK, "fotograffik" evidence of the Bismark (No "C") fix:

In Rockin Robbins Test Mission:


In AOTD_MadMax's RakJap7:


And in cdrsubron7's Maximum Effort:


these are on my little dual-core with AGP graphics, so the quality isn't that good...

Now, back to the drawing board. Do NOT use the second fix, only the first. So "611_BismarckSMfixes..." is good to go for testing, and the display then stays as "Bismarck", and the game thinks it's "Bismark"... right... or wrong, it's three lefts instead?...

[Rockin Robbins]

Originally Posted by propbeanie

Ratz... and I just got finished "testing" the Bismark with no "C"... I'm going to post some of it anyway, since it's so fun:

Now, back to the drawing board. Do NOT use the second fix, only the first. So "611_BismarckSMfixes..." is good to go for testing, and the display then stays as "Bismarck", and the game thinks it's "Bismark"... right... or wrong, it's three lefts instead?...

Yea, THAT's the ticket. Let's name it Boaty McBoat Face. The stupid game will believe anything we tell it!

[propbeanie]

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins

Yea, THAT's the ticket. Let's name it Boaty McBoat Face. The stupid game will believe anything we tell it!

This is true... boaty mcboat face... I might have to do a mission with that now, you know?... set the difficulty to eleven... all the guys have theirs at ten. Me? I've got eleven...

[propbeanie]

Now, in line with all the Bismark versus Bismarck stuff we've been dealing with for almost six months now... it still has graphics issues:

An old shot from the AOTD_MadMax mission:

and one from cdrsubron7's Maximum Effort:

These anomalies do not go away with a name change, unfortunately.