Okay, what'd I do? [Archive] - SUBSIM Radio Room Forums

frau kaleun

01-22-10, 07:14 PM

Need some help with mods, please!

Running GWX3 Gold, SH3 Commander. Had started a career via Commander, ran successful 1st patrol in a VIIB 1-2 Aug 1939, 7th Flotilla out of Konigsberg. No mods installed yet, made no changes to anything the game gave me as far as u-boat, crew, equipment, etc. Saved career after returning to base. When I went back into SH3 Commander, all career info was there and updated to reflect status after 1st patrol. So far so good.

Added desired mods with JSGME to try out (in what I thought was right order where necessary.) Went back in tonight to start 2nd patrol (via Commander), went into saved career, clicked on last save which puts me in base after completing 1st patrol. In HQ screen clicked on Mission and hit Start. Game started to load, but about halfway through that I get my first taste of the "Silent Hunter III has encountered an error and needs to close" thing.

Closed game and tried to load same saved career without going through Commander, same deal. Tried to start new career, same deal. Tried to load single mission, same deal.

Started disabling mods one at a time to see if that helped. It did, finally.

Here are the mods I had enabled:
GWX 3 St Naz and Schleuse
WB's GWX campaign with 23 additional ships
-remove Titanic
-add Q ships
(can't remember official names of those last two, but they were options that came with WB's 23 add'l ships mod, which I enabled after installing it)

Then:

GWX Alternate Loadscreen Full Circle
GWX Integrated Orders
GWX No Medals on Crew
GWX Open Hatch Mod
GWX VIIC41 Player Sub
Scire-Tikigod-repeated order
VIIB WAR SKIN II
Das Boot Clothes
I'm not totally sure about the order in which I enabled that last batch, but to the best of my recollection that's it. I know I went down the list of GWX mods and enabled the ones I wanted from there first, before adding anything else.

I also had WB's GWX Mid-Patrol Radio Orders enabled in SH3 Commander, and had enabled the North Atlantic mod from that for the current patrol.

The game continued to err out when trying to load a saved career or mission until I had disabled everything except the GWX St Naz and Schleuse mod, which was the first one I had added because I thought WB's instructions for the add'l 23 ships mod said the St Naz & Schleuse mod had to be there first.

Is there a different St Naz/Schleuse mod that I should have used, or did I have some other conflict going on? Or is my system just not gonna run the game with everything enabled that I was trying to use?

I'm running Windows XP Pro 32 bit
AMD Athlon II X2 240 2.8 GHz AM3 Processor
Asus M3A78-EM motherboard
ATI Radeon HD4650 1 GB PCIe graphics card
Asus Xonar DX PCIe sound card
6 GB DDR2 RAM (of which Windows recognizes about 3.8 G, but I had the sticks so they're in there)

if any of that matters to my dilemma.

Thanks in advance for any advice/answers etc.!

FIREWALL

01-22-10, 07:32 PM

Did you tick Save and Exit or End patrol right before leaving game ?

frau kaleun

01-22-10, 09:24 PM

Um... I dunno? Lol.

I completed the mission objectives, hit Esc, clicked return to base, and IIRC clicked Save first. Then I think I clicked Save and Exit to get out. It was the first time I'd ever had anything I *wanted* to save, so I'm not exactly sure what I did since I hadn't been through that procedure before.

But the patrol and the career were definitely saved at the point I exited the game, as far as I can tell, because all the correct info for both is there in both SH3 and in Commander. I could go into the game (whether using Commander or not) and choose career mode and that saved career, just couldn't get it to load so I could actually start playing. I couldn't load a career OR a single mission with all those mods enabled the way I had them set up.

Since I disabled all the mods but the first one on the list above, I can go back in and load the last save from that career and go successfully right back into it, loading the save that has me in base after completing the first patrol, and start a second patrol on the date that corresponds to the "time in base" option I selected in Commander. I've tried that and it loads the career fine and starts out with me in position to take the boat out of the harbour for the next patrol.

frau kaleun

01-22-10, 09:27 PM

Looking at the list of mods I had enabled, does the Das Boot Clothes mod conflict with the No Medals on Crew mod? Just wondering since they're both doing something to the appearance of the crew in-game.

I also have some other mods in the MODS folder, they just weren't enabled at the time the errors were occuring. But I had enabled and disabled some of them prior to disabling all mods before starting the current career, and then re-enabled the ones I wanted after I got the first patrol completed and saved. I don't know if that makes any difference.

Bosje

01-22-10, 09:34 PM

edit: never mind i was talking nonsense due to having had some scotch

ps welcome to the pack, frau kaleun (a lot of posts already but never saw you here before, somehow :)

FIREWALL

01-22-10, 09:54 PM

It's not a good idea to save and then swap mods around eeven if you come back to port.

Better to do a clean exit.

Shcommander will show if you are back in base or in a save I think.

I hate it not knowing for sure.

Good Luck frau.k.

sergei

01-23-10, 01:38 AM

Yes that's right Firewall. Commander tells me my captain is either
In base before patrol2
or
At sea during patrol 3.
Obviously I make sure it's the former for enabling mods.

It sounds like you are doing everything right.
The only thing I can suggest is maybe enable the mods one at a time. The first one that crashes the game may be corrupt, try re downloading it.

sergei

01-23-10, 01:45 AM

One other thing. The St Naz mod to be enabled before Von Dos ships is

GWX_3StNaz+Schluese+shipsV4.7

Kaleun Cook

01-23-10, 08:01 AM

Sounds a bit like the problem me and others have:

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=160394

Maybe that^^ wasn't a Win 7 issue at all since you report the same bevaviour with WinXP. :06:

frau kaleun

01-23-10, 08:05 AM

thanks, guys.

after I finished the first patrol, Cdr was showing me in base, so I'm not sure what went wrong. the St Naz/Schleuse mod was the first one I put in, then the ships mod, so I don't think that was the issue.

will try setting things up again and play with mods one at a time to see what happens.

Wreford-Brown

01-23-10, 04:23 PM

Frau K,

You won't be able to load a saved mission/patrol because both St Naz and Schleuse and my mod rewrite the campaign files, both the scripted campaign and the random one.

You should be able to start a new career, and if you'd exited the game by returning to base than you would be able to start the next patrol with the new mods enabled.

If you're desperate to complete that mission, I recommend disabling all mods, complete your mission, return to base and then enable any mods that you want to.

Enabling anything mid-patrol is asking for CTDs!

HundertzehnGustav

01-23-10, 04:36 PM

Saved career after returning to base. When I went back into SH3 Commander, all career info was there and updated to reflect status after 1st patrol. So far so good.

Added desired mods with JSGME to try out (in what I thought was right order where necessary.) Went back in tonight to start 2nd patrol (via Commander), went into saved career, clicked on last save which puts me in base after completing 1st patrol.

Madam was back at port, and she was between patrols when the shyt hit the fan?

But it is true - only enable mods after/before a patrol, back at home base.

Wreford-Brown

01-23-10, 04:55 PM

Sorry - eyes were watering with the long post :D.

The thing that's got me foxed is the CTD mid-load. Campaign issues tend to cause CTD right at the end, just before the 'not so long ago...' message.

Most mid-load CTDs seem to be happening with Win 7 but that's not the case here :hmmm:. Maybe someone who knows a hell of a lot more about SH3 than me can tell us what causes mid-load crashes.

frau kaleun

01-23-10, 04:55 PM

Okay, thanks all. I guess I was/am a little confused about when I can/should enable mods or not.

Since I'd only done one patrol in one career and wasn't concerned about having to start a new one, I just did a fresh install of SH3/GWX/Commander so I could start over from scratch and try to get it right this time. Also something I did in the course of trying to get something, anything, to load up after getting the initial error message really screwed up things in Commander, so it seemed like the safest option. My refrigerator magnets hadn't fallen off yet, but it was probably only a matter of time. :O:

So - I have a fresh install of all three, have not opened the game or extracted and enabled any mods whatsover.

If I understand things correctly, I can go in now and extract/enable the mods I want (including the Mid-Patrol Radio Orders that has to be enabled in Commander itself), then open Commander and start a new career from there, then load the game and select that career, just don't make any changes in the SH3 screens to my boat, crew, etc. Go out on one patrol, complete it, return to base, and exit the game, and then when I go back into Commander all the info for that career should be there, and I can go back into it from there, and from then on I can use the in-game screens to upgrade boat & equipment using whatever renown I have. Crew management I can do from Commander.

The other thing that confuses is me is the whole Save/Exit/Save & Exit thing because the game gives so many options. Once I return to base, the game auto-saves the career, so if I've finished the patrol and returned to base, I don't need to do anything but exit, right?

So I should just hit Esc, say 'yes,' and click on 'return to base' and then exit the game and my career will be saved with me in base after that patrol, ready to go out again. I can check that by selecting the career within the game and the last save should show me in base after finishing the most recent patrol.

When I go back in through Commander to resume that career, I select that last auto-save and start from there. And as long as I was back in base when I exited the game, I can enable or disable mods before going back into the game.

BUT - if I do a save when I'm NOT in base, then I shouldn't make any changes to mods until I go back in, start from that save point, and play until I finish up that patrol and am back in base again.

Please let me know if I have all this right. :DL

HundertzehnGustav

01-23-10, 05:32 PM

Let me read and take care to understand all you say...

I can now and extract/enable the mods I want
open Commander and start a new career,
load the game and select that career,
Go out on one patrol, complete it, return to base, and exit the game,

the "complete patrol, return to base and exit", THAT is what you do.
You want to enable mods? Do it before you start a career or when you are at home. And ONLY there.

-Tip. your crew has few qualifications when they start their war. Make of your first patrol a very short one, dont even leave the harbor area. Then you can "manage your crew" in commander and give more qualifications.

The other thing that confuses is me
Once I return to base, the game auto-saves the career, so if I've finished the patrol and returned to base, I don't need to do anything but exit, right?

no...?:timeout:

The game does not autosave anything.
You do the saving.
Either somewhere in the ocean, in the middle of the action
Or Once you return to base, (within a couple of miles of the harbor) you hit the escape button.
The question is then asked:

you wanna exit simply
(lose all progress since the last save point:damn:/the last time you were at your desk)
or you wanna dock at your harbor XYZ (save your progress, and then walk off the Uboat and into your office, report to your boss :salute: and get the renown for your work :rock:)

BUT - if I do a save when I'm NOT in base, then I shouldn't make any changes to mods until I go back in, start from that save point, and play until I finish up that patrol and am back in base again.

correct. You not at home, dont touch any damn files!:yeah:

*hands The Lady a cold Beer*

frau kaleun

01-23-10, 06:12 PM

You want to enable mods? Do it before you start a career or when you are at home. And ONLY there.

Yes, thanks - some of my original confusion had to do with whether or not I should be enabling any mods before starting a career and going out on the first patrol. I think I read somewhere that I shouldn't make any changes to what was in the game prior to finishing a first patrol if I was going to play in career mode via Commander. I mistook that to include adding mods when I think now it only applies to the changes you could make in-game to your boat, crew, etc. before going out for the first time.

The game does not autosave anything.

:06:

The manual that comes with the game says that in career mode, the game performs two auto-saves: one in base before you leave on each patrol, and one in base after you return there from each patrol. Any mid-patrol saves you have to do yourself.

Also I did a manual save after finishing that first patrol, and when I went back in, there were two save points where I was shown back in base after completing it. After checking the manual I assumed one was the save I did, and the other the auto-save. Is the manual wrong on the auto-save, or does GWX and/or Commander alter something that makes manual save-in-base necessary?

Either way I'm assuming it can't hurt anything to do a manual save in base after a patrol... unless, since there were two "back in base" save points, would clicking on one as opposed to another (and I'm pretty sure I clicked on the last one, chronologically) cause problems with trying to load it after having entered the game through Commander?

HundertzehnGustav

01-23-10, 08:04 PM

The manual that comes with the game says that in career mode, the game performs two auto-saves: one in base before you leave on each patrol, and one in base after you return there from each patrol. Any mid-patrol saves you have to do yourself.
Automatic saves by SHIII

Indeed, SHIII does some autosaving, now i remember.

the first autosave is when you first enter the office, choose your crew and your equipment.
-->"before patrol1"

then you do your patrol, come back and dock at home port
the moment you click "dock at homeport", the game is saved again.
-->"after patrol1"

then you step into your office and check the medals offerd, and get a look at the logbook, and the renown gained. That is the automatic save
-->"before patrol 2"

If you have several patrols, you will see the following saves in a career

autosave before patrol1
(manual save?)
autosave after patrol 1
autosave before patrol2
(manual save?)
(manual save?)
autosave after patrol 2
autosave before patrol 3
autosave after patrol 3
autosave before patrol 4
autosave after patrol 4

Why SHIII does that is beyond my knowledge, and waht purpose this has i do not know.

Maybe some sort of backup function, or
if a "before patrol 5" save bis corrupt,
one can always choose "after patrol4, just a few seconds earlier?

*scratching my head*

You wanna save your actions, and are seconds away from docking back at home port, then an additional save, "escape, save game as" will secure all your deeds and efforts.
(has some optically side effects upon reloading that savegame, but your data is safe)

then you do the actual docking "escape, dock at home port", and SHIII will save the game again.
Never a bad idea to save often.

frau kaleun

01-23-10, 08:26 PM

I am going to go in and just enable the St Naz/Schleuse mod and then WB's thingy with Von Dos' 23 ships and start a new career and see what happens. It was only when I got to the point of disabling those that I was able to load a mission or career save at all. So if I have the same problem now, after a fresh install of everything, I'll have a better idea of where to look for any problems. Then once I finish another shakedown cruise I can start enabling other mods to see what happens from there on out.

On a side note, you know, there really needs to be a fully modeled bathroom off that office somewhere, so I can have a nice bubblebath after I come in from a patrol. Just a thought.

Also a shortcut in crew management for "just gimme all the cute guys" would be nice.

:O:

Seriously, though, thanks everybody who replied for all the help and for clearing up some things I still wasn't quite sure about!

HundertzehnGustav

01-23-10, 08:37 PM

Yup, if you enable a Mod mid-patrol, and the thing crashes on you, it is always worth a try, to put in the reverse gear -* disable the mod, the try reloading. Might work. Might not.

Duh, could i ask you a favour?:hmmm:
Just call me when you need someone to gently rub your back
or wash your hair
when you are sitting in that soapy shower, behind that office, would you?

Im gonna put on my Coat and be at your service...
http://www.filmportal.de/public/pics/IEPics/09/85E6498CEF3248C3A5C0F4AD64216907_2519.jpg

*mmmmh*:sunny:

:D

frau kaleun

01-24-10, 02:26 AM

Just call me when you need someone to gently rub your back
or wash your hair
when you are sitting in that soapy shower, behind that office, would you?

Sadly, I don't have any openings in my current crew for a... uh... well, let's just call it a "personal assistant" and leave it at that. There doesn't seem to be an appropriate qualification that can be awarded for it either.

However, given the fact that you've already bought the gear, I'll take the suggestion under advisement pending the availability of the GWX Post-Patrol Bubblebath, Rubber Ducky Optional mod.

Anyway, I went in and did the Academy nav tutorial exam again and everything seemed to work fine. Exited the game and enabled the St Naz/Schluese mod followed by WB's Campaign with 23 additional ships mod, and went into Commander and set up a career then started the game from there.

Got the error message again after entering the game, choosing career mode, selecting the new career I'd just set up in Commander -making very sure the date and flotilla were correct - and trying to load it. I don't think it even got as far as the load screen, just went black and then the error came up and that was it - close program. So I disabled the add'l ships mod, leaving only the St Naz/Schluese mod. Was then able to go back into Commander and set up new career yet again, which loaded fine in SH3 that time around. Did first patrol, returned to base, have a save where I'm in base after first patrol. Commander also shows me back in base.

Checked out my crew files, and there's not a Bernard in the bunch. Okay, one "Hans-Bernard" but with any luck he'll only be half as bad as a "full Bernard."

OTOH, one of my petty officers is Peter Weller, so... I figure having Robo-cop on board may make up for having half a Bernard along for the ride.

So - now I'm Gerhard Witte, and I'll just pretend he's the defunct Paul Witte's brother. And I took U-48 instead of U-46, which seemed like a pretty fine boat to have.

Next thing will be to get back in there and start a second patrol - not going to make any changes to mods, just go in and see what happens this time.

I do have one last question from today's successful patrol though - provided anybody's actually read this far, lol. At the end of it, I got a radio message saying I needed to transfer to either the 1st or 2nd flotilla when I was back in base. I couldn't find any option for that in Commander, so I'm assuming that when I resume this career, the first thing I need to do in my office is click on the telephone and request a transfer? Please let me know if that's not correct. I don't want to have to start all over again because I made another stupid n00b mistake - Paul Witte only has so many brothers! :O:

Wreford-Brown

01-24-10, 04:32 AM

then open Commander and start a new career from there

Try:
1. Start a new career with no mods enabled and without using SH3 Commander.
2. Complete the first career patrol.
3. At the end of the patrol press 'Esc' and select the 'Dock at...' option on the bottom right.
4. Start your next patrol through SH3 Commander.
5. On completion of that patrol, start enabling mods.

All of the GWX ones have been extensively tested with GWX and all work with no problems. Other mods are tested to a greater or lesser extent, so I tend to install mods from modders I trust straight away but any new mods (or ones that have proven to be less stable on my install) I enable one at a time to see if there are any conflicts.

Ship mods I enable one at a time and don't enable another one until I've seen and sunk it, unless it's one from VonDos or another shipbuilder I trust. Some mods simply don't work on my system but work on hundreds of others - it's just one of those things.

BTW, I think that HZG may have been at sea just a little too long...

HundertzehnGustav

01-24-10, 06:09 AM

Anyway, I went in and did the Academy nav tutorial exam again and everything seemed to work fine. Exited the game and enabled the St Naz/Schluese mod followed by WB's Campaign with 23 additional ships mod, and went into Commander and set up a career then started the game from there.

Damn you a tough, dedicated Lady. I did those things once, and once i "got" the concept, except manual targeting, i never went back.
Boah, you got the patience and the persistence, and these are two EXCELLENT properties for a Uboot-Fahrer. Resssspekt!:salute:

I couldn't find any option for that in Commander, so I'm assuming that when I resume this career, the first thing I need to do in my office is click on the telephone and request a transfer? Please let me know if that's not correct. I don't want to have to start all over again because I made another stupid n00b mistake - Paul Witte only has so many brothers!

i never heard of that...:o
You in Königsberg right? If they offe you a new Office (with extras...) in Wilhelmshaven, go for it. Its SO much closer to the Big hunting grounds.

It could be that your training in Königsberg is over, or the flotilla disbanded, some somt of GWX thing.

I have never been there, the Restaurants, the Food and the Countryside around Wiolhemshaven has Choosing me that City for every Career.

Too bad for the Job, i was just about to write up a detailed resumee for that!:sunny::rotfl2:

frau kaleun

01-24-10, 04:46 PM

Try:
1. Start a new career with no mods enabled and without using SH3 Commander.
2. Complete the first career patrol.
3. At the end of the patrol press 'Esc' and select the 'Dock at...' option on the bottom right.
4. Start your next patrol through SH3 Commander.
5. On completion of that patrol, start enabling mods.

Since poor Gerhard just bit the big one on Patrol #2, I will be starting another career anyway. Will give this approach a try and see what happens. Although I have to say, once you've done a couple patrols with some mods enabled... going back out without them is kinda Teh Suck.

You modders do fantastic work, and make the game a lot more fun, is what I'm sayin'.:D

BTW, I think that HZG may have been at sea just a little too long...

I think perhaps he has forgotten that when I'm in the make-believe SH3-created offices of some U-bootwaffe HQ, and therefore when I'm in any make-believe bathroom attached to said offices, I am in fact a 20-something German dude.

But hey, to each his own. :O:

frau kaleun

01-24-10, 04:53 PM

Damn you a tough, dedicated Lady. I did those things once, and once i "got" the concept, except manual targeting, i never went back.
Boah, you got the patience and the persistence, and these are two EXCELLENT properties for a Uboot-Fahrer. Resssspekt!:salute:

I *like* the nav tutorial. Nobody shoots at me!

i never heard of that...:o
You in Königsberg right? If they offe you a new Office (with extras...) in Wilhelmshaven, go for it. Its SO much closer to the Big hunting grounds.

It could be that your training in Königsberg is over, or the flotilla disbanded, some somt of GWX thing.

I got the "transfer" message both times I started a career out of Konigsberg. I assumed it had something to do with its location and the outbreak of hostilities with Poland, that the flotilla as a whole was relocated. I don't know if that's historically accurate, though.

I did wonder, though - I started with the 7th because that's the flotilla I wanted to play out the war in, or as much of it as I could survive, anyway. But then I get the thing telling me to transfer to the 1st or 2nd, not that the 7th itself has a new base, so I didn't know if I would be able to transfer back to it somehow, or if the next time I went in it would show the entire 7th flotilla running out of the new base.

Eh, whatever. I'll probably start the new career in the 2nd. I didn't much care for Konigsberg as a starting location anyway.

Wreford-Brown

01-24-10, 04:56 PM

I am in fact a 20-something German dude.

The amount of help you get on these forums is going to plummet if you tell everyone that. Watch out for the RTFR comments!

KL-alfman

01-24-10, 05:08 PM

....... the flotilla as a whole was relocated. I don't know if that's historically accurate, though.

as you may see here:
http://www.uboat.net/flotillas/7flo.htm
as a combat flotilla the 7th was stationed in Kiel and then transferred to St. Nazaire in Aug/Sep 1940.
there is no entry of the 7th in Königsberg ......

frau kaleun

01-24-10, 06:33 PM

The amount of help you get on these forums is going to plummet if you tell everyone that. Watch out for the RTFR comments!

:haha:

*sigh*

Probably true.

The upside is that my new navigator? Has a really cute butt. (What? TMI?)

:O:

I started a new career in SH3 with no mods, no Commander, as you suggested. Thanks to TC just completed first patrol.

Nice thing about starting from Wilhelmshaven - got to pass by the Tirpitz on the way out of the harbour. :rock:

frau kaleun

01-24-10, 06:34 PM

as you may see here:
http://www.uboat.net/flotillas/7flo.htm
as a combat flotilla the 7th was stationed in Kiel and then transferred to St. Nazaire in Aug/Sep 1940.
there is no entry of the 7th in Königsberg ......

Yeah, I looked it up after posting that. i guess Konigsberg is a training thing... all I did was cruise around the bay and blow up transports. :DL

HundertzehnGustav

01-24-10, 08:01 PM

I think perhaps he has forgotten that when I'm in the make-believe SH3-created offices of some U-bootwaffe HQ, and therefore when I'm in any make-believe bathroom attached to said offices, I am in fact a 20-something German dude.

But hey, to each his own. :O:

Raaaaah you just took me down from cloud number nine!
That you didnt give me that assistand Job was already Bad, buit this!
Man, ima gonne get a depression now!

:rotfl2::rock:

FIREWALL

01-24-10, 08:05 PM

Get the prob fixed frau kaleun ?

btw you are a member of SubSim no matter who you are. :up:

You posts add a flavor here and are just as important as anyone elses.:yep:

Good Hunting :salute:

Sailor Steve

01-24-10, 08:14 PM

some of my original confusion had to do with whether or not I should be enabling any mods before starting a career and going out on the first patrol. I think I read somewhere that I shouldn't make any changes to what was in the game prior to finishing a first patrol if I was going to play in career mode via Commander.
The biggest thing to not do before your first patrol is 'buy' stuff (upgrades) for your boat before starting you first patrol, and the only real danger there is that you might not get renown for any ships you sink.

Installing mods is fine.

frau kaleun

01-24-10, 09:02 PM

Get the prob fixed frau kaleun ?

btw you are a member of SubSim no matter who you are. :up:

You posts add a flavor here and are just as important as anyone elses.:yep:

Good Hunting :salute:

Danke, danke. :D

So far so good, but we'll see what happens when enabling mods again. Will try to get a second patrol started as soon as I have time to get back in there for a bit. At the moment I'm restocking my onboard "record collection," lol. I forgot about losing all the stuff I had in the Gram folder when I reinstalled everything, and then I got out into the middle of the No Atlantic and my tunez were gone! Oh, the humanity! :wah:

The biggest thing to not do before your first patrol is 'buy' stuff (upgrades) for your boat before starting your first patrol

Um... so I guess getting the psychedelic paint job with the big peace sign on the conning tower is out of the question, then. Bummer.

Note to self: delete Hendrix from Gram folder.