[TEC] WARNING: UPlay overwrites mod files without permission

[Cerberus62]

If you connect via UPlay with Ubisoft to download some of the add-on files in exchange for accumulated game points (e. g. camouflage texture files or single player missions), you'll get trapped.

Whenever you alter or delete one of these downloaded files, they will be reinstalled again and again each time you start the game. This weird behaviour leads to the fact, that parts of previously installed mods are constantly overwritten!

Example: The single player mission to sink the Ark Royal overwrites the loadout definition file (NCV_Ark_Royal.eqp). Don't know why, this makes no sense at all. But to make things worse, if this file has been changed by a mod, it'll be overwritten again with the default version when you start the game. Even if you mark the files as write protected, they'll be replaced with the default version.

The same happens to the important file UpgradePacks.upc if you decide to download the additional textures. And you can't get rid of this malicious behaviour at all, it seems to be irreversible. Reinstall the whole game and your files will be overwritten anyway. :damn:

So be warned, NEVER EVER download an add-on via UPlay if you want to keep your files the way you installed them with JSGME!

The additional files you'll get are not worth the trouble. The missions are ridiculous simple. And concerning the texture files: As soon as I've found a way to restore my system, I'll upload them for everyone's usage - without the danger of Uplay/Ubisoft botching your system up. Another impertinence of this company that unfriendly people would call a little rat-shop. Sorry, I get angry as hell is someone dares to mess up my files unasked!

[SashaKA001]

If you connect via UPlay with Ubisoft to download some of the add-on files in exchange for accumulated game points (e. g. camouflage texture files or single player missions), you'll get trapped.

Whenever you alter or delete one of these downloaded files, they will be reinstalled again and again each time you start the game. This weird behaviour leads to the fact, that parts of previously installed mods are constantly overwritten!

Example: The single player mission to sink the Ark Royal overwrites the loadout definition file (NCV_Ark_Royal.eqp). Don't know why, this makes no sense at all. But to make things worse, if this file has been changed by a mod, it'll be overwritten again with the default version when you start the game. Even if you mark the files as write protected, they'll be replaced with the default version.

The same happens to the important file UpgradePacks.upc if you decide to download the additional textures. And you can't get rid of this malicious behaviour at all, it seems to be irreversible. Reinstall the whole game and your files will be overwritten anyway. :damn:

So be warned, NEVER EVER download an add-on via UPlay if you want to keep your files the way you installed them with JSGME!

The additional files you'll get are not worth the trouble. The missions are ridiculous simple. And concerning the texture files: As soon as I've found a way to restore my system, I'll upload them for everyone's usage - without the danger of Uplay/Ubisoft botching your system up. Another impertinence of this company that unfriendly people would call a little rat-shop. Sorry, I get angry as hell is someone dares to mess up my files unasked!

:D That's what brings:har: greed Ubisoft!!!!:haha:
nor when it did not use their service:O:

[pacificat0r]

As I remember, Uplay should stop rewriting the mods that affect uplay rewards if you rename/delete the following files from the "data" folder: r2.rw, r3.rw, r4.rw.

[Webster]

well im sure they were trying to make sure you got the updates no matter how you may have made mistakes in your game, but instead there should have been a way to let you go back and get them again if needed and not be forced upon you by the continuos auto updates.

very likely this was one of the things on the list for the next game update that was canceled but we will never know :06:

[Cerberus62]

As I remember, Uplay should stop rewriting the mods that affect uplay rewards if you rename/delete the following files from the "data" folder: r2.rw, r3.rw, r4.rw.

Really, pacificat0r, you made my day! It works, and aside from that, the game even loads faster. :yeah:

Thanks a lot for your advice! :salute:

[Cerberus62]

well im sure they were trying to make sure you got the updates no matter how you may have made mistakes in your game, but instead there should have been a way to let you go back and get them again if needed and not be forced upon you by the continuos auto updates.

very likely this was one of the things on the list for the next game update that was canceled but we will never know :06:

Thank you for your reply, Webster. I agree to your assumption concerning the devs intentions. But Ubisoft saves how many points you have already paid and which add-ons you have 'purchased'. So there should be no need for continuous auto-updates, if they would have granted permission to download these files again.

As the case may be, with pacificat0r's proposal we've got a satisfying solution.

[elanaiba]

Not to forget, Uplay also contains the Queen Mary (without it activated you just use the Rawalpindi as proxy) and the Ark Royal. You really want to have those ON by some method (borrow from friend?).

[Cerberus62]

Not to forget, Uplay also contains the Queen Mary (without it activated you just use the Rawalpindi as proxy) and the Ark Royal. You really want to have those ON by some method (borrow from friend?).

Well, I think I know what you mean, but... Ark Royal is already in the default campaign, and that's the "real" NCV_Ark_Royal unit file, not a proxy. No need for UPlay activation anyway. And the single player mission to sink the Ark Royal is IMHO nothing than a joke. If you open the SM08.misge with MissionEditor2, you'll recognize how simple it is done. A task force steering a course. Your u-boat with an intercepting course. No triggers, no events, no randomization. To be rebuild in 3 minutes by a nooby. Boring. :yawn:

Queen Mary uses the NAMC_Rawalpindi resp. NTR_Rawalpindi files unless you connect to UPlay. But in MissionEditor2 she's available as the real model file by default (q. v. http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=176864). So the correct unit file appears in missions. :yep:

And concerning the campaign: I'd rather rework every single campaign file and manually replace the passenger liner entries with the correct units before I shall download any stuff via UPlay again. Just my 2 cents...

[elanaiba]

Hmmm, maybe I need more coffee :)

But really, the mission cannot make anything appear, it just references the unit. if the unit is a proxy, the proxy will appear. If the unit is the real deal, that will appear.

The Ark Royal will load the Illustrious, the Queen Mary the Rawalpindi.

They are already in the campaign or missions, but the proxies will appear in their place at the right moment.

[Cerberus62]

Well, I met the Ark Royal in the campaign, long before I downloaded anything via UPlay. And I'm quite shure, this WAS the model of the HMS Ark Royal, neither a proxy of the HMS Illustrious, nor that of any other ship.

AFAIK a ship appears in the campaign if it is either determinated as a specific unit or as a random unit from a group class (here: Fleet Carriers, UnitType=9). Everything that is needed to show up a working unit of HMS Ark Royal is included in the vanilla game. So the game displays randomly one of these units defined as type 9 (Ark Royal, Courageous, Eagle, Illustrious etc.) if the mission contains a random generated naval group with generic fleet carriers.

I haven't met the RMS Queen Mary yet, therefore I can't say, if she's using a proxy of NAMC_Rawalpindi in the campaign. But if this should be the case, it would be possible to edit the mission files of the campaign with MissionEditor and link the appearing passenger liner to the model of NPP_QueenMary, as this model is included in the vanilla game with all it's functionality. Otherwise she wouldn't appear in a single mission, but she definitely does. :hmmm:

Oh, and of course the UNIT appears, not the FILE. You're right, my last posting has been mistakable.

[elanaiba]

A ship in the campaign appears using the same mechanics as the mission.

BUT I was just testing this on a recently installed copy .... and now I have the correct ship models !? I'm pretty sure I checked it a couple of days ago and they were not there, but in the meantime I patched the install... maybe the patch brought the ship models.

Oh well, if thats the case, no biggie :) In fact its for the better.

[Madox58]

It must be the last patch.
I don't have that patch installed and everything is 'placer' Units.
What I'm wondering now is,
Does the patch extract from the .rw files or actually send the Units?
:hmmm:

The .rw files can be extracted by some clever codeing.
(Don't ask! :haha:)
But if they are already done?
Why waste the time.

[elanaiba]

One thing to remember that even if the ship models are activated, you will not see them IN THE MUSEUM as they are still disabled in the museum.cfg file.

[Cerberus62]

One thing to remember that even if the ship models are activated, you will not see them IN THE MUSEUM as they are still disabled in the museum.cfg file.

Do you mean THIS Museum? Well, I know when I see the Ark Royal and I'm looking at her right now... :D

http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/9351/arkroyalmuseum.jpg

[elanaiba]

Did you activate it on Uplay or mod the museum it on another way?

[Cerberus62]

Did you activate it on Uplay or mod the museum it on another way?

I downloaded SH5 on May 2nd, 2010. Weeks before the launch of patch 1.20. Both Ark Royal and Queen Mary were visible in the Museum and in the Mission Editor right from the start (and without mods).

It's 5 days ago since I downloaded files from UPlay the first time. Because it works for more than 6 month, I can't see how UPlay should be associated with it.

And though I've deactivated each and every mod, the ships are still there.

Seems to be neither the patch 1.20, nor a mod, nor Uplay. Perhaps it's due to the localisation (I own the German version).
Or does your \data\Sea\NCV_Ark_Royal\NCV_Ark_Royal.cfg contain the entry "ShowInRecognitionManual=No" ?

[elanaiba]

Nope!

Bah.... I give up. I'm out of office for 2 weeks so I cant search through the multitude of versions, but ... in the end, its not that important. Good thing the ships are activated.

[Cerberus62]

A final hint. These are the entries for Ark Royal and Queen Mary in my museum.cfg:

[ITEM 79]
ClassName=CVArkRoyalasdf

[ITEM 80]
ClassName=PPQueenMaryasd

Weird names compared to the other units, because the entries don't match the ClassName entries in the data\sea\*.cfg file (trailing "asdf" resp. "asd"). If you rename the entries, these units won't show up in the museum. On the other hand I've got a lot of ships visible in the museum that are not listed in the museum.cfg at all. :hmmm:

Ok, you're right, got enough of this. Who cares? As long as it works... :)

[elanaiba]

The list only shows the ship that DON'T appear in the museum.

When uplay activates the unit, it also ads some noise ("asdf") to the end of the class name, so it no longer matches the one of the ship.

[slikster]

So, don't unlock UPlay items then? Is that the conclusion?

[Cerberus62]

So, don't unlock UPlay items then? Is that the conclusion?

IMHO the additional u-boat textures are the only items so far worth to be unlocked. If you should decide to do so, and you got the items, don't forget to rename or save and delete the files r2.rw, r3.rw and r4.rw in the Silent Hunter 5\data folder afterwards, or you might run into troubles for reasons extensively depicted in this thread.

[Sepp von Ch.]

Okay. So I do not have to download new missions with Queen Mary and Ark Royal from Uplay.

I have not even one of the ships in museum in SH5. I really want them in my campaign.

What shall I do please? Step by step instruction please. But I would need a reasonable solution to protect my game by the possible next patch. I don´t want to have problems with played campaign!

[Cerberus62]

Josef, you've got PM. Hope, it helps.