Steam version + Win10 = WTF

[bifutake]

First, my specs:

MBO: ASUS M5A97 R2.0
CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 630 BOX (2.8 GHz)
GPU: Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 5770 1GB GDDR5 (running 1920x1080 at 60 Hz)
RAM: 8 GB (2x2 DDR3 1333 Mhz + 1x4 DDR3 1333 Mhz)
SSD: Samsung 850 EVO Basic 250 GB (divided into two partitions: C, D)
HDD: Western Digital Black 4 TB (divided into four partitions: E, F, G, H)

Windows 10 Enterprise 64-bit (10.0, Build 17134) is freshly installed on my C partition. D is only used by my three favourite Steam games (because of multiplayer). Most of my Steam library is on E (along with the Silent Hunter games).

My DxDiag shows I'm using DirectX 12 but I'll c/p some other potentially relevant information:

Driver Name: aticfx64.dll,aticfx64.dll,aticfx64.dll,amdxc64.dll
DDI Version: 11.2
Feature Levels: 11_0,10_1,10_0,9_3,9_2,9_1
Driver Model: WDDM 1.3Does this mean my system is backward compatible with DirectX 11.2, 11.0, 10.1, 10.0, 9.3, 9.2 and 9.1? But am I wrong or does SH4 use 9.0c? Could this be the reason why the game won't start properly?




So, the game ran fine in Windows 7 (with minor adjustments (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=202192) when using mods) but I recently switched to Windows 10 (clean install, no upgrade) and now it won't start. Neither will SH5. SH3 works just fine, so you can imagine my surprise. But that's a topic for another thread.

When I click to play Wolves of the Pacific (with or without the U-boat expansion installed), I hear my HDD spinning up but nothing happens. My Task Manager shows SH4 running and using resources (much less than a gig of ram and a very small CPU percentage) but nothing other than that. Same thing happens when I try running sh4.exe directly in compatibility mode (xp, vista, 7).

I tried browsing this subforum for any similar experiences but I just can't find them. Can someone please help me?






Edit: Well, I got it working in 1024x768 windowed mode after stumbling upon this thread (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=231193). No luck so far in trying to adjust it to my native resolution in full screen though.

[propbeanie]

You do need to install the DirectX 9c from the game. All of the versions of DirectX after it leave out parts that the game requires to draw the "old" 3D stuff. Also, with Steam, do NOT install the Silent Hunter games in the C:\Program Files folders (which includes the x86 one on a 64-bit machine). Else, Windows will assume control of your game life, and will not allow you to apply mods. Use the Steam App on your computer to "Manage" the install, as per Steam themselves (https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7418-YUBN-8129). This info is also in THEBERBSTER's SH4 <> TUTORIALS <> HOW TO DO IT <> INFO < (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=219029) thread. :salute:

[bifutake]

I always install DirectX when a game prompts me about it but now I installed it manually just to be sure (v. 9.0c from the thread you linked) and it didn't change anything. My DxDiag information hasn't changed either. I can still only run the game in 1024x768 windowed but I can't change it to something higher (like my native 1080p) or switch to full screen.

Also, I already wrote in my opening post that my Steam libraries are located on my D and E partitions. Silent Hunter games are on E. Still got no clue what causes this issue.

[propbeanie]

Try reading CapnScurvy's posts (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?p=2542388#post2542388) (and the others) in the thread Silent Hunter 4 & Windows 10 (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?p=2334043#post2334043), being sure to follow the link to his Windows10; Large Address Aware; SH4 Install (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?p=2452635#post2452635) thread. Also, if you read through THEBERBSTER's thread linked above, he's got several tips for Win10 users, as does CapnScurvy in his.

UAC in Win10 can cause issues, so try running As Administrator. Compatability Mode might be needed. Video drivers have caused trouble for some users, and you may have to roll your driver back (though the last case of that was nVidia). Also, if you haven't tried it yet, some systems need you to set your display resolutions to match. ie: Whatever the "native" resolution of the monitor is, set your Windows display driver to that, then match that in the game, if possible. If you're not getting to the game menu though, you should un-install the game, and delete the My Documents / SH4 folder, which holds Saved games and computer settings, and try re-installing...:salute: