Foot in mouth ... sorted!

[Saintaw]

It was an accident waiting to happen... I installed mod after mod, not doing any backup files. Well, after installing the visibility mod along some other stuff, the game simply stopped working for me. I tried repair, uninstall & reinstall, and still couldn't get it working... finaly found out that the uninstall would not delete non proprietary files (Duh me!) and deleted them manualy.

I now finaly managed to get it clean & working again, and prior to installing any patches/files... I simply backed up the whole folder into a "SH3 Original files" dir. (That twin 240GB SATA I got last month helped).

Yet another annoying experience of the "I told you so" syndrome...

*kicks own butt*

[KptnLt Eric Karle]

I can't understand why people don't use the JSGME utility which completely removes the possibility of things like this happening. It's a godsend and I couldn't live without it.

[Saintaw]

Yes Mum!

FYI: Not all mods use the JSGME tool.

[KptnLt Eric Karle]

Sorry, re-reading my post I admit sounding very preachy. And while there may be mods that aren't compatible with JSGME I've yet to com across one that can't be made to be.

[Saintaw]

No biggie, I was stoopid not doing any backups... I deserved a good wrist-slap :)

(Too many men in here to talk about 'spanking' ... uhu)

[gdogghenrikson]

I can't understand why people don't use the JSGME utility which completely removes the possibility of things like this happening. It's a godsend and I couldn't live without it.

my two cents..........but JSGME is overated!

[Karl-Heinz Jaeger]

I second the JSGME is crap vote!! Not ONE of the mods I tried to install with it actually worked, so I had to do it the old fashioned way which was actually faster. Why is there a JSGME anyway? For lazy people?!!

[gdogghenrikson]

yea I agree........I also never got any mods to work while using it. No its not for lazy people, its for people who don't understand computers and modding

[KptnLt Eric Karle]

I'm sorry guys. I have not had a single problem getting any Mod to work perfectly (I currently have over 25 installed) using this utility. Obviously if the Mod maker does not release the mod with the correct folder structure then it won't work but anyone within a couple of minutes can sort that out.

and

No its not for lazy people, its for people who don't understand computers and modding

well thats just plain silly comming from someone who can't figure it out. Using JSGME has everything to do with making sure that the files you add and change with various mods do not corrupt your game and render it unusable

[Type941]

I can't understand why people don't use the JSGME utility which completely removes the possibility of things like this happening. It's a godsend and I couldn't live without it.

I understand. You want to play the game, you want to see each mod, and you 'assume' that there should be a backup in the download may be. Or not. Eitheway, you keep getting good mods, and no problems, until somethings stops working. Than you are screwed. Happened to me the first time.

After the Sh3 reinstall, I made a point of using the JGSME tool, and of course it's MUCH more simple than it sounds like. Click back and forth, place all mods into the MODS folder (duh) and off you go.

Of course there's a downside now, that you get irritated with authors who don't bother providing the files with JGSME compatable structure, but that's another rant. :rotfl:

[kiwi_2005]

Yeah the mod enabler is a good choice, i was against installing any mods for while, until i couldn't resist Seans Skin mods.... So now my game is modded to hells heaven again. But im using the mod enabler this time round.

[bobo]

HEY SAW!!!! (Acid from AcesHigh)

I had to reinstall once......once. I learned that lesson and made good use of my SATA drive as well :up:

As far as JSGME is concerned it's helpfull for some but not the "end all" solution for installing mods. What would be nice is a mod-enabler that tracks and makes necessary changes within files themselves not just the entire file at once. It gets very tedious inermixing/editing mods so that they are compatible with other mods I like. I actually had to do a complete reinstall of all my mods last night (another folder I now have copied LOL). My own fault, I must've lost track of file edits to existing mods in order to make them compatible with other mods. Was getting some really weird behaviour.....CTD's . . . lock-ups . . . every time I ran across a convoy half the ships spawned within each other which cased memory addressing problems and BAM another CTD.

oh well, nothing more to see here....move along please

[Syxx_Killer]

I haven't used that JSGME utility. I really don't want to. I like to put the mods in myself without having to worry about if it has a JSGME compatible directory structure. Sometimes I make modifications to mods (remove or add files, or edit cfg files) that I like a bit better. I don't want to have JSGME place the mod, then I have to go in again to edit it. I have a quick system setup now, so I can place mods probably quicker than if I could with JSGME. My downloads are categorized accordingly, so all it takes is a quick Copy and Paste into the main Ubisoft Data folder. I've got the Program Files/Data folder and My Documents/Data foler both backed up. A quick and easy Copy and Paste and the mod is gone. I guess it is kind of like manual targeting - you either use it or you don't. :88) :lol:

[oRGy]

Whether you use JSGME or not, it's handy to make a backup of a 'virgin' sh3 data folder before installing any mods. I rar it up to keep the file size down (1.2gb)

[Karl-Heinz Jaeger]

No its not for lazy people, its for people who don't understand computers and modding

well thats just plain silly comming from someone who can't figure it out. Using JSGME has everything to do with making sure that the files you add and change with various mods do not corrupt your game and render it unusable

Well I guess he has a point, there are people who do have a tough time copying and pasting mods deep inside a games file structure. Think back to your first ever modding experience and be honest, you weren't 100% sure it would work were ya?! ;)

I do understand the reason for utilities like JSGME, but in my opinion it makes it a lot harder to actually mod the game, being used to doing it manually and having to learn a whole new routine is confusing. I guess it's down to whats easiest for you. :up:

However, I've used a mod utility like JSGME on 2 separate games, SHIII and Panzer Elite(which has got to be THE worst game.......ever......EVER!!! :damn: ) and both times my installation got screwed beyond all recognition forcing me to install everything again. The only mod utility I have used without any hassle whatsoever was one for Star Trek:Bridge Commander for uploading new ships and weapon loadouts. :|\

What bothers me is how in the heck can the JSGME module read and follow the installation instructions for a mod?? It's not like it's got eyes and actually reads the readme file. I assumed originally that this was exactly what it did, and then I discovered that not one of the mods I was trying to use was working, and it got me thinking how something like that could be made to work. IMHO, manual modding is the only way to go, the only downside being you won't know if one mod is screwing with another until you play the game but like thats much of a downside!! :D

[NeonSamurai]

I use jsgme with sh3, the current version ive had no problems with, though the last version i did have it get confused and overwrite the umoded version with one of the mods i use twice, forcing reinstalls both times.

Its principal is very simple, it checks the files in the mod folder you have selected, then backs up the same named files from the original and keeps a list of new files the mod contains that the original doesnt. After backing up it then Copies the files over from the selected mod's folder to the root game directory and then saves in a config file for itself that you installed that mod. Later when you remove the mod using the program, it deletes all the modded files and copies the backups back to the root directory restoring it.

Its a handy program even if you know how to mod the game as it lets you easily change mods on the fly with out having to manualy back up each and every file (i use a combination of mods which i then further self modded, and the file count for it alone is well over 1300 files. Backing it up by hand just isnt an option). Not to mention having to go in each time i remove the mod and manualy finding and removing the new files.

You can also make mods designed not to work with it, to work with it, all you need to do is go in the silenthunter3 folder, then the mods folder, Make a new folder and name it, then copy over the guts of the mod (data folder etc) into that folder.

So for example say you wana make "mod x" compatable with jsgme. Well first you uncompress the mod someplace on your hard drive, then open your "Silenthunter3" folder (where the game is installed). Open "Mods" folder, make a new folder in "Mods" and name it "Mod X". Then go to where you uncompressed the mod, and copy the data folder, and any other folders and files with the data folder into the "Mod X" folder. Then all ya need to do is run jsgme and select Mod X and have it install Mod x. Thats it.

Also if you wana later edit the mod you just need to uninstall all current mods using jsgme, then go into the "mods" folder and open the folder containing the mod you wish to edit. Edit it, then reinstall the mod with jsgme.

So in short, i like the program, i use the program, i recommend the program, and im neither, computer illiterate, not a modder, or lazy.

[Saintaw]

Errrr... I didn't mean to open this can'O worms, and I didn't want to blame any modmaker for this... just pointing out how a grown man can still be stoopid at times :)

Acid! I see you posting around on the FDB forums! Or did I have one too many beers again? :D

Saw (I want a HUMMER too!)

[gordonmull]

I rar it up to keep the file size down (1.2gb)

Never thought of archiving my backup folder. Nice one :up: .

I've never tried using the JSGME thing before, so i maybe do not know whereof I speak, but I think installing mods manually has given me more of an insight into how the moddable files in SH3 work (to an extent). If, like it has been said, JSGME is useful for non-computer-literate types then it doesn't encourage them to learn and there has always been a wealth of help and support for anyone unsure of what to do in this forum.

Still each to his own, eh? :D

[kiwi_2005]

I often install alot of mods for my games, and found a really good way of backing up a "Already" modded game. In fact ive been doing it this way since the dvd writers came out. For instance I've got 4 different mod version games backups of SH2, where its just a mtter of copying to computer install the registry and modded game is ready.

Say you have SH3 modded just the way you like it, u got 20 + mods, skins, sounds etc., you got it perfect to your gameplay. Then back it up so if the sh*t hits the fan no worries. Providing you have a dvd writer, all you do is copy the whole SH3 folder onto a dvd, then go to "regedit" and copy the SH3 registry also to dvd. thats it. Then if you need to reinstall, just copy back the SH3 folder to exact place, so it should be C:\program files\ubisoft\silent hunter III, this is cos the registry you copied of SH3 registers as the game being in that folder, unless you installed SH3 somewhere else first time, then place it back to that one. Even if you dont install into the right place all you would need to do is edit the SH3 registry and directing it to the path where the game is now installed.
Double click on the registry to enable. Now throw in your Original SH3 dvd or cd and your ready to play your modded game.

Of course if your not lazy then your be the man and go install each mod at a time. :rotfl: :lol:

[HW3]

One nice thing the latest version of JSGME does is check, before it installs a mod, to see if the mod modifies a file that has been modified by a previously installed mod and warn you telling you the file name. You then decide whether to go ahead and install or not.