Changing directions somewhat. Reflecting on communications from Webster and THEBERBSTER, it's not enough that advanced users know how to protect your game. Yes, the background info is interesting and some can understand and use it, but wouldn't it be better if nobody had to understand how it works but everybody could use it?

So I'm changing tacks here to come up with a script that will automate the production of an SH4Pristeen protected game file repository, which can make separate directories for the supermods from which to run independent installations, and which can restore pristeen stock files to any of those directories after you remove all mods with JSGME. I may be able to simplify the process by making the script remove all mods THEN restore stock game files. (For those interested, what it will REALLY do is blind JSGME to installed mods so it thinks no mods are installed and then restore all the stock files, hehehehe)

Provisionally, the menu would look like this:
Can't do the horizontal spacing thing in this forum but you get the idea. If you choose to restore stock files you would get another menu to tell the script which directory to restore the stock files to.

Suggestions? Accolades? Jeers? Attaboys? Insults? Bring 'em!:D:D

Aside: batch files sure have changed a lot since I used to write a bunch of them in the 1990s. Put "echo <alt-255>" on a line and Windows says "WTH!!!!"

Hi RR
What is commendable is you are always thinking outside of the box and pushing the boundaries.:Kaleun_Salute:
Peter

Yee Hawwwww! Make SH4Pristeen menu item works!

It makes sure the batch file is in the parent directory of \Wolves of the Pacific. It does not test to see if these are pristeen untouched pure stock game files--that is your responsibility. Then it creates a parallel directory, SH4 Pristeen in the same parent directory, copies all files from \Wolves of the Pacific and write protects the whole shebang, all from one keypress.

Now I have to add subroutines to install JSGME, Large Address Aware and MultiSH4 if you prefer. Even if you do not it, in the pursuit of simplicity, will install them and you don't have to use them if you don't want.

Eventually all this will go into a 7zip file to be unzipped into the parent directory of your game installation. Correction: just figured out how to install all the goodies in a subdirectory of your game installation's directory. That's confusing!

Let's say your game installation is c:\ubisoft\wolves of the pacific. Our goodies would go into c:\ubisoft\SH4 Corruption Management System. Parallel game installations would be c:\ubisoft\SH4 Pristeen, c:\ubisoft\SH4TMO, c:\ubisoft\SH4FOTRSU, etc. That way the SH4CMS would be in its own private little hidey hole, out of the way and not cluttering up \ubisoft or whatever your parent directory would be.

And I can write a collection of little batch files that work together rather than one giant octopus. Stuff is easier to write and troubleshoot when it's modular.

I'm writing it on a Windows 7 computer. When it works I'll test it on my Linux computer (this one) and pass it out to Win 8, Win 8.1 and Win 10 users to see how the scripting language has devolved, thanks to all the people who believe that the GUI is how you should do EVERYTHING, and figure out workarounds.

It isn't your SPECIFIC idea but it is your idea! Simplify! Then simplify some more. If people want to know the technical side make it easy to analyze and explain freely for those who are interested.

By the way, when I'm done the procedure will be super easy to adapt for SH3 and SH5.

I've been away for awhile, making routine explosions in my secret Laboratory of Doom and Pepsi Cola. Hehehehehehe. Batch files: wonderful(?) things they are.

But SH4CMS is now ready to be zipped up and sent to carefully selected victims for testing. Yesssssssss! Who should be my first victim? Aanker or propbeanie? Please pay no attention to cursing from my victims. We're working on something that has promise.

What has it promise of? Well then, that is an interesting question........:D:D:D

I've been away for awhile, making routine explosions in my secret Laboratory of Doom and Pepsi Cola. Hehehehehehe. Batch files: wonderful(?) things they are. Well the final product won't explode......I think.

I selected my victims and they have copies of the SH4CMS, Silent Hunter 4 Corruption Management System. When we get it working the SH4 universe will be rotated into another dimension.

There will never again be such a thing as an irretrievably corrupted game installation. And your cat can fix it. It will be that easy.

The options are to

• make a Pristeen game file repository from certified original stock files
• perform Webster's Mod Soup Fix on the game installation of your choice
• Make or repair \Wolves of the Pacific
• Make or repair \SH4GFO
• Make or repair \SH4RFB
• Make or repair \SH4TMO
• Make or repair \SH4FOTRS
• Make or repair \SH4FOTRSU
• quit

Imagine my surprise when I found that one short batch file plus a variable would allow me both to produce from scratch and to fix the game installation of my choice! Seven lines of code, only four of which do the grunt work of actually working on the file structure. I recommend that you right click on SH4CMS.bat and select move to/desktop as shortcut.


There are only 10 files in the Corruption Management System, four of which are JSGME.exe, JSGME.ini, Large Address Aware.exe and MultiSH4.exe. SH4CMS installs these in your Pristeen installation and after that, into any installations you make with SH4CMS.


Before you institute a repair, you need to uninstall all your mods with JSGME and do a file compare with snapshot to determine that base stock file corruption is your problem. If the indication is corruption exists, Then run SH4CMS.


First you might try Webster's Mod Soup Fix, built into SH4CMS. If your fix is straightforward, that may work for you. If not, call in the SH4CMS repair dogs, which will fix ANY game corruption no matter what the cause.


SH4CMS uses about 5.5 GB of hard drive space for the Pristeen file repository and 5.5 GB for each game installation.