Help! - I created a graphics issue for my SH4 installs

[Rigel44]

So today I got a message that Steam had IL-2 1946 on sale for only $2.49 so I thought how much I used to enjoy the IL-2 flight sims and for that price I would add it to my toy chest. So I purchased, downloaded and installed and then launched just to verify it functioned. Well it didn't do great but I thought I am sure I can come back to this and fix it later after reading some forum threads.

But then the bad news hit - I have two different mod installs (not in Steam - not in programs but in my own directories) one for Fall of the Rising Sun Ultimate and the other for Dark Waters. I have been playing both of these mods for many months now. When I tried to play them today the graphics was now all wrong and the game appeared to be small on my large screen (lots of blank space). Other games are fine such as Wings Over Flanders Fields. I searched and read many forum posts and tried to fix this but nothing is quite working. My computer is a Windows Surface Studio and the recommended screen resolution is 4500x3000. Even when I match the game resolution to this recommended resolution I get the full game screen left justified on the big monitor and still not filling the screen. I right clicked on the .exe file and went through many compatibility settings but nothing has restored me to where I was just before launching IL-2 1946.

Has anyone experienced an issue like this and found a quick fix? I wonder if there is some shared file or some graphics card setting is causing the issue.
The Graphics Engine is NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M. OS is Windows 10 Pro 22H2.

Any and all help appreciated. I am mid career of several captains and want to get back to the business of sinking ships

Thank you

[KaleunMarco]

But then the bad news hit - I have two different mod installs (not in Steam - not in programs but in my own directories) one for Fall of the Rising Sun Ultimate and the other for Dark Waters. I have been playing both of these mods for many months now. When I tried to play them today the graphics was now all wrong and the game appeared to be small on my large screen (lots of blank space).

Has anyone experienced an issue like this and found a quick fix? I wonder if there is some shared file or some graphics card setting is causing the issue.
The Graphics Engine is NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M. OS is Windows 10 Pro 22H2.

Any and all help appreciated. I am mid career of several captains and want to get back to the business of sinking ships

Thank you

are you playing FOTRSU and DW at the same time from the same installation folder?

if yes, then you are doing it wrong ( lol).

look into MultiSH4.exe. i believe it is included with the FOTRSU download. if you follow the instructions for MultiSH4, you will need to re-install a fresh version of SH4 as a baseline.

if no, then please explain your installation with more detail.

:Kaleun_Cheers:

[Rigel44]

I have 3 different instances of SH4 all in different folders on my C:drive. Nothing in Program Folders. One is the completely unmoded stock game with U-boat missions add on. Another folder is SH4 with Dark Waters mod for u-boat careers and the third folder contains SH4 with FotRSU mods.

[KaleunMarco]

I have 3 different instances of SH4 all in different folders on my C:drive. Nothing in Program Folders. One is the completely unmoded stock game with U-boat missions add on. Another folder is SH4 with Dark Waters mod for u-boat careers and the third folder contains SH4 with FotRSU mods.

ok, that's good.

are you storing each of your instance's Save Folders in different folders?
for example:

\Documents\DW
\Documents\FOT
\Documents\SH4

if yes, then we have to keep going to find the problem.

if not, then that is probably your issue.

[Rigel44]

Yes each have there own folders assigned in documents. Thanks to this community I learned a lot about how to set this up properly here in SubSim forums. And all has been working great for many months until the steam install of IL-2 1946 yesterday.

[KaleunMarco]

Yes each have there own folders assigned in documents. Thanks to this community I learned a lot about how to set this up properly here in SubSim forums. And all has been working great for many months until the steam install of IL-2 1946 yesterday.

well....that narrows it down to......a Steam issue.

my apologies for non-steam suggestions.

there are a few Steam-experienced members here. i am sure one will stop by this thread and have a suggestion for a cure.

:Kaleun_Salute:

[1Patriotofmany]

Well if it all started with the IL-2 installation, Have you tried uninstalling IL-2? That's a very weird issue. Maybe a directx issue, IL-2 corrupted directx files? Just a shot in the dark here. Any other games messed up by the install or just Sh4? Maybe try going to NVIDIA and installing latest driver or try fix if you already have the latest driver?


System restore to a date before the IL-2 install?

[Rigel44]

I did try the uninstall and that did not fix the issue. I do have up to date Nvidia drivers so that should be fine. The potential of DirectX seems logical since that would be shared by the games. I have been able to make other games such as Over Flanders Field work but it did require that I adjust resolution but then did get a correct full screen game. If I do a system restore to a point prior to Monday, would that include DirectX files?

[KaleunMarco]

I did try the uninstall and that did not fix the issue. I do have up to date Nvidia drivers so that should be fine. The potential of DirectX seems logical since that would be shared by the games. I have been able to make other games such as Over Flanders Field work but it did require that I adjust resolution but then did get a correct full screen game. If I do a system restore to a point prior to Monday, would that include DirectX files?

the SH4 installation will install the only directx that the game needs.
in fact, SH4 cannot use any more-modern directx.

[1Patriotofmany]

the SH4 installation will install the only directx that the game needs.
in fact, SH4 cannot use any more-modern directx.


IL-2 is a very old game, probably uses the the same directx. It's a shot, I'd reinstall directx or run a fix setting if it has one just on the chance.