What dates are you encountering the unescorted merchants? What dates was the Tang sailing in the book you read? FotRSU has mostly singles, with a chance for doubles or more early in the war. You will still find a few convoys then. As time progresses, you see fewer and fewer unescorted singles, and more and more escorted convoys. You might also find groups of 2 or more DD-type ships out looking for submarines. Actually, they're just traveling from one end of a run to another to catch the next convoy for escort duty... with that said:
Did you empty the Save folder (defaults to C:\Users \UserName \Documents \SH4) before playing the modded FotRSU game? If you did not empty the save folder, then you have the Stock game mingled with the FotRSU mod. I ask this because FotRSU has one German "Troopship Modern Class" sailing east of Mindanao late 1942 to mid 1943 (with just a few in the mod), sometimes with a freighter, but also the possibility of an escort. Odds are usually an escort. They are going from Japan to western New Guinea. So if your install and activation are good, and the time frame is right, you got lucky again. There were convoys that ended up without escort due to missed rendezvous points, or ships sunk or whatever, plus it might be a straggler. Never look a gift horse in the mouth - just sink it and look for more. :salute:

The deck gun crew disappeared with an AA gun upgrade?? Can you tell us what date it was that you came back to port, and which port it was? Can you also run JSGME, use the "Tasks..." link in the middle of the app, then click the "Export activated mods list to -->" and use "Clipboard" to paste it right away into your next post, or "Text file" to copy that later and post it in the next reply you do here. If it is your deck gun crew missing, there is the "NewColetrainsAndOthersDGfix.pdf" file in the Support \HowTo folder of the modded game that can walk you through editing the Save files to get your gun crew back. Remember that in the future, the Green circles around the ports are where you'll encounter the "busy" area. The red circles are about where the game will ask you if you want to dock. Somewhere between the green and red circles, you should make a Save of your game, using a new name, so that you have something to fall back to if you run into this again. It is always a good idea to put your gun crews back into the Damage Control team slots, or wherever you got them from, prior to docking, so that you do not lose them. Sometimes the game will put them back there automatically for you. But if you have lost the slots they go in, you'll need to do that "repair" noted above, or fall back to a previous Save. That, unfortunately, is the nature of the SH4 beast... :salute:

I'm awful at explaining things so here's a recording of what's going on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwNCOfKZ7mw

I only have these mods.
Generic Mod Enabler - v2.6.0.157
[S:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Silent Hunters Wolves of the Pacific\MODS]

100_FalloftheRisingSun_Ultimate_v1.8
Nihon Kaigun v1.3a_FotRSU
Nippon_Maru_v1.9b_FotRSU

I did google and see the topics saying delete the string AdditionalRepository but when I searched the save file AdditionalRepository didn't exist at all?

This is my modlist:

Generic Mod Enabler - v2.6.0.157
[E:\SH4\MODS]

100_FalloftheRisingSun_Ultimate_v1.8
101_FotRSUv18_FixPak
Nihon Kaigun v1.3a_FotRSU
Nippon_Maru_v1.9b_FotRSU
Combined Roster
399_NoScrollNavMap
801_UMark Invisible
304_NoJapaneseAirRadar
650_OriginalFOTRS_Dudz
803_NoPlayerSubFlags
901_Strategic_Map_Symbols
451_TMOstyle_NavMapDots
451a_TMOstyle_NavMapDots_Nippon_Maru
451b_TMOstyle_NavMapDots_Nihon_Kaigun
450_MoonlightzSonarLines
SH5 TWoS Flags for SH4 FotRSU
Fleetboat_Interior-Officers_Quarters_FOTRSU_v1.7_EN
FI-OQ_FotRSU_v1.8f_upcPatch
Realistic Floor Tiles for Fleetboat_Interior-Officers_Quarter
Snarf_WoodModelv2
FJB Brown Navigation Map
851_Red_FotRSU_Logo
856_Col_FotRSU_Museum
Jimimadrid Sailors for FotRSU
Jimimadrid Optics
jimimadrid Shells
Jimimadrid SubManagement
Jimimadrid Metalic Dials
Jimimadrid S18_S42 Gui Dials
Jimimadrid TDC
Jimimadrid Tools
jimimadrid HUD
FOTRSU_1.8_SUB_SKINS_IN_4k
SMALLER SEABED ROCKS
New Sounds for Fleetboat_Interior-Officer Quarters mod
EAX_SoundSim_FOTRSU_1.8
Enhanced SubSounds for SH4
Lite Fog v2 + 100' Underwater Visability
SMALLER SEA PLANTS MEDIUM
sobers better rock Ver 2 mod
sobers better sand II
Speech_Overhaul
Vanilla Impurities
FOTRSU Less Jap Planes
Hitman's In Game TSAC v2.1
Targeting_Assistant_V1
FotRS_Chacalot-Porpoise
Jimimadrid Salmon_Sargo Gui Dials
Hamilton Gold Clock
BATTLEFLAG_CONNING_PIKE_SS173
BATTLEFLAG_WARDROOM_PIKE_SS173
DarkerNightsEnv_V2
USS PIKE
BATTLEFLAGS_MERCHANT_SUNK_COUNT3
BATTLEFLAGS_WARSHIP_SUNK_COUNT1
TDW_Ship_Plane_Fire_Damage_v1_3_SH4
RUBINI_CLOUDS_SH4

All works fine. Maybe you need to add the 101_FotRSUv18_FixPak.

Regards.

Fitzcarraldo :Kaleun_Salute:

The fixpak would help some things, but unfortunately not this issue fitzcarraldo. This the old reliable Stock game "deck gun issue"...

@ Zyhgar, if you do not have the "AdditionalRepository" listed, then you are most likely missing part of, if not the whole gun itself, as noted on page 4 of that pdf listed and linked above. That section states:

"... you need to actually have the weapon in the UpgradePackSlot on the boat. Search on “UserPlayerUnit 1.UpgradePackSlot 2”, which in FotRSU is the “ID=UpgAirSearchRadar” section. You most likely do NOT have an “[UserPlayerUnit 1.UpgradePackSlot 3]” section, which is the “ID=UpgDeckGun” section. The next section should be “[UserPlayerUnit 1.FunctionalSubsystem 1]”, and you will paste this section between the last line of the “[UserPlayerUnit 1.UpgradePackSlot 2]” section and the "[UserPlayerUnit 1.FunctionalSubsystem 1]” section:

[UserPlayerUnit 1.UpgradePackSlot 3]
ID=UpgDeckGun
NameDisplayable=Deck Gun
Type=NULL
AcceptedTypes=USDeckGunBow,USDeckGunStern,USDeckGu nImpBow,USDeckGunImpSter
n,USDeckGunHvyBow,USDeckGunHvyStern,USDeckGunHvyDb l
UserCustomizable=Yes
IDLinkUpgradePackSlots=BowDeckGun,SternDeckGun
CurrentUpgradePack=4inch .50cal Stern Mount
IDLinkUpgradePackSlotsLoaded=NULL

Save the file, making certain that it remains named ActiveUserPlayerUnits.upc”, as a plain text file, and no extra data or file extensions added..."

Now, part of the problem with that, is the write-up was for a Balao boat, so the sectioning and gun names would be different for your boat. Your boat actually should have a Conning Tower upgrade before the AA gun upgrade, but we did make it to where if you had the first conning tower that it would still mount the gun properly. The game does not do these types of "upgrades" properly. Looking at the image of your submarine on the equipment and crewing page, your boat has the first conning tower. I think we can eliminate that issue with the next mod release - maybe... for the S-42 Class anyway.

The apparent main problem you have is that in the modded game, the S-18 and S-42 classes actually receive "down-graded" deck guns effective 1942-08-01, which happened in real life at various re-fits. The 4" guns then went to fleetboats. The missing gun positions usually happen on boats where the player has changed the "default" gun position. That is not possible with the S-18 and S-42 classes, since they can only mount forward guns, so I am at a loss on that, other than to postulate that maybe the conning tower / AA gun change (or lack thereof) may have influenced things?? Give me a bit here, and I'll do a Career Start at Brisbane with an S-42, and get you some good replacement text to fix the Save data. Reference that "NewColetrainsAndOthersDGfix.pdf" file in the Support / HowTo folder though, in the meantime, to familiarize yourself with the procedure involved. If you do not feel comfortable with the idea, you could always just zip up your "C:\Users \Username \Documents \SH4" folder, and I can do the surgery for you, send it back, and you put it back where it was. Just send me a PM if that's what you want. You could use any one of a number of web sites to post to, such as DropBox, MediaFire, Google Drive or MS OneDrive and the like... :salute:

your film clip said 1000 words. (lol)

browse to your current Savefolder and then to the file named ActiveUserPlayerUnits.upc. select that file name by clicking on it once.
press ctrl+c and then ctrl+v.
now right click on the ActiveUserPlayerUnits.upc file name and select Open With and choose Notepad.
perform a Find function (ctrl+f) and look for compartment 6 or 7 (i forget which is which in an S-boat.)
you are looking for text like what i posted below.
the Stern Gun will appear first followed by the Bow Gun. Choose which one you want on the boat and then delete the characters AdditionalRepository from each of the CrewMemberSlots in that Compartment. the respective lines should look like this after editing: [UserPlayerUnit 1.Compartment 7.CrewMemberSlot 1], followed by 2, 3, etc.

Save and close this file. Then open SH4, load the save file and the crew should reappear for whichever gun you edited.

[UserPlayerUnit 1.Compartment 7.WeaponSlot 1]
ID=SternDeckGun
NameDisplayable=Aft Deck Gun Mount
Type=NULL
AcceptedTypes=NULL
UserCustomizable=No
IDLinkBunker=GunsAmmoBunker
ExternalNodeName3D=M02
ExternalObjectName3D=NULL
ExternalDamageZoneTypeID3D=-1
IDLinkWeaponLoaded=NULL, NULL

[UserPlayerUnit 1.Compartment 7.CrewMemberSlotAdditionalRepository 1]
ID=CrewMemberSlot_ADGunC3
NameDisplayable=Deck Gun Crew
Type=Crewman
IDLinkCrewMemberLoaded=NULL
WatchCrewMemberSlot3D=WM2@slot_M02
BattleStationsCrewMemberSlot3D=WM2@slot_M02
WatchAccessoriesForAdding3DObjects=sapca_u#Head
WatchAccessoriesForSubtracting3DObjects=sapca
BattleAccessoriesForAdding3DObjects=sapca_ca#Head
BattleAccessoriesForSubtracting3DObjects=sapca

[UserPlayerUnit 1.Compartment 7.CrewMemberSlotAdditionalRepository 2]
ID=CrewMemberSlot_ADGunC2
NameDisplayable=Deck Gun Crew
Type=Crewman
IDLinkCrewMemberLoaded=NULL
.....

:Kaleun_Salute:

OK, here is an image of a career start Save game differences between an April 1942, and an October 1942, both at Brisbane, for the Deck Gun sections:

https://i.imgur.com/cUKh8Rj.jpg


Do note that KaleunMarco's instructions do apply, but with the caveat of the use of "Compartment 6" in place of the "Compartment 7", due to the differences between the S Boat classes and the regular fleetboat classes, which is what his example is of. The crewmember slots are right below the "UserPlayerUnit 1.Compartment 6.WeaponSlot 1.Weapon" section. Either or both of those slots might be incomplete in your Save folder. However, the extra text of the "AdditionalRepository" phrase is the usual problem, going by your illustration in the video. Be sure you have the correct Save folder...

https://i.imgur.com/gea5X7R.jpg


That was my last Save going by the Windows date/time stamp.
:salute:

I mean I can dump my save here there is no AdditionalRepository anywhere in the code.
I went through I don't see anything different maybe I missed something?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tyz...usp=drive_link

That is not the correct ActiveUserPlayerUnits.upc file, from the looks of it. That has the 4 inch gun still, and all crewmember slots. Navigate into your save folder, such as "C:\Users \UserName \Documents \SH4 \data \cfg", and select the "SaveGames" folder. If you have 7-zip on the context menu, you can right-click that folder, and select "7-zip" on the context menu, then click on the "Add to archive". Once on that screen, click the "Options" button and click the tick boxes for "Store creation time" and "Store last access time". "OK" that, and then click the main window's "OK" button to create the archive. Post that if you would, and then it will be easier to find the appropriate ActiveUserPlayer file. :salute:

This is on of the saves that is bugged? any and all saves after the refit removes the gun crew after going from 3inch to 4inch but okay here's all my saves.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HKO...ew?usp=sharing

0000000a is the one I provided some saves in there are me trying to trouble shoot my self.
0000000b and 0000000c are the video saves.

That makes a lot of sense. I'm in late 1942 at the moment, and the Tang book starts in late 1943.


I did completely empty my save folder, so I don't have any sort of mod conflict going on. I suspect my ease of play this career is more due to me having gotten the hang of manual targeting, and FOTRSU not making me subject to the whims of Admirals Fife and Hart, and their crappy patrol focuses.


Thinking about it, that was absolutely the first German I came across: A solo German Troopship Modern Class east of Mindano. I did come across another German-flagged Greek merchant a few days later, east of Luzon. And I've definitely run into the pairs of destroyer escorts. I've actually gotten fairly good at taking at least one of them out, though my last two FOTRSU careers ended at their hands... er... depth charges.

Well, every time you think you've seen it all, someone else shows you something new... I have never seen the issue you have Zyhgar... The crewmember section is really strange. CrewMemberSlot 1 starts fine, but then instead of doing the crewmember description and rank, it lists CrewmemberSlot 2, 3 and 4, with no actual crewmember descriptions or rank... I'll take the Saves I made earlier to find the differences between the running boats, and bring them both back in to port and dock and Save, then see what the crewmember listings look like, and get back with you tomorrow my time... :salute:

That German/Greek ship might be an auxilary cruiser, with the potential to have multiple guns to pound you... maybe even torpedoes. Very aggressive. :o
:salute:

Oh, I noticed! I hit it with a torpedo, then battle surfaced on the thing and it nailed me on its first shot! There followed a 2 hour running gun fight while it burned and my damage control party worked frantically. I think if I hadn't taken the 4 inch gun upgrade I wouldn't have sunk it. As it is, I'm hugely lucky that I managed to retain all my fuel!

My saves are all fine upon return to port... so my supposition is that your crewmember descriptions from the damage control team, which is where you take your gun crews from, got mingled with the gun crew slots PRIOR to your coming into port... I'm trying to edit my save file to look like yours from when you left port, and then come back in and see what happens... more later. :salute:


I cannot fathom how the crew got transposed into an incorrect compartment though... :hmmm:

OK Zyhgar, I may have found the issue. In your Save folder, using the folder you will take the sub out with next time (00000004??), after the re-fit, look for the section "UserPlayerUnit 1.Compartment 6.WeaponSlot 1", and the last line in that is "IDLinkWeaponLoaded=", and yours has "NULL, NULL". After 1942-08-01, your boat should have a "3in50calUS, NULL" in that line instead. After that section, you are missing the actual Weapon section, so paste this between that last line, and the "UserPlayerUnit 1.Compartment 6.CrewMemberSlot 1" header of the next section:

[UserPlayerUnit 1.Compartment 6.WeaponSlot 1.Weapon]
ID=3in50calUS
NameDisplayable=3inch .50 Caliber Cannon
WeaponInterval=1900-01-01, 1999-12-31
WeaponSlotType=NULL
AmmoTypesAccepted=3inAPUS,3inHEUS
AmmoTypeLoaded=NULL
AmmoMagazineSize=1
AmmoMagazineRemaining=0
WeaponCrewMembersSlots=4
ExternalLinkName3D=3_50_Soclu
FunctionalType=WpCannon
Hitpoints=100.000000
EfficiencyHumanFactor=1.000000
EfficiencyMechanicFactor=1.000000
Efficiency=1.000000
Damage=0.000000
DamageHitpointsConsumed=0.000000
RemainingRepairTime=0000-00-00 00:00:00
DamageDescription1=NULL,0,0.2,0,1,1,Jam,0,0,NULL,1 ,0.3,0.206513
DamageDescription2=NULL,0,1,0,0.5,1,Chamber Explosion,50,5,NULL,1,2,13.0046

Save the file, and then try to load that Save. Unfortunately, there is no "naming" shown in the Save data as text, so I am guessing that info is in the binary files. In your search folders though, that "IDLinkWeaponLoaded=" and the following "UserPlayerUnit 1.Compartment 6.WeaponSlot 1.Weapon" section are why you do not have any gun crew member slots in the game - there is no gun to put them on... Usually when this happens, there is a partial gun listing. Yours is completely missing... I found that only in the 00000004 folder of the set you posted. :salute:

I was trying to trouble shoot my self with 00000004 and 0000000a.
00000004 is the save with the stern mounted version of the 4inch 0000000a is the save with the bow mounted version of the 4inch so maybe that's why there's missing bowgun code? I didn't edit any of the code myself this was all generated via just saving the game.
I was trying to see if saving and loading by switching between the bow and stern gun versions would just fix the bug like the oxygen bug would be fixed after a fresh save.

I'll edit the 0000000a when I can (will be leaving home after posting.).
I did put a permanent gun crew on the deck gun at the start of the game so there was always crew assigned to the gun and I hired more crew for DC.
Is that the issue?

The problem with the S-Class boats (18 & 42 both), is that they cannot mount an aft gun. There is an M01 node for the bow mount, but no node for an after gun. The real boats did not have the space to mount one back there, and did not have any reinforcement on the deck either. The gun itself is in the Compartment 6, which you might notice is different from the fleetboats, which use Compartment 7 (aft) and Compartment 8 (bow) for the deck gun (s). As for an oxygen bug, if you are referring to the oxygen not restoring upon surfacing, that is also a function of the game, in that it is an old WinXP, DirectX v9 game, and as such, thinks it is the only thing running on your computer. If you shell-out to Windows, or any background app interrupts your game-play, that will introduce all sorts of oddities into the gameplay, including the oxygen not restoring, the crew not resting and eventually collapsing a "Cannot comply" responses to orders. It can also introduce graphic anomalies, such as a smoke pillar following your boat around, or the watch crew staying at their stations when you are submerged. If you encounter any of that, Save the game, exit completely, start the game again, then load the saved game and continue. All such trouble should be gone. Windows does not always restore the game to the same state and addresses it was at before, and the game itself cannot follow along with the changes.

It might be, and wouldn't surprise me if it is, but that does not seem logical to my mind... The basic idea with the larger repair crew was to hold the deck gun and AA gun crews. They can stay at the gun positions, but those are exposed, just like the watch crew positions, and they can be injured much easier, since they are technically still outside the protection of the boat at those stations. It would be nice if the game would move them to protected interior places when submerged, but that was an oversight in the development cycle of the game - maybe... lol

I do alt tab the game a lot sometimes, I'm too used to even in older games but never really had any issues with alt tabbing before other than like minor visual bugs that don't bother me.

I have tried that fix you sent me but it doesn't seem to recover the slots at all. I cannot figure it out this issue? I could try start new campaign and see if it happens again maybe its something to do with the refit? or just a one time bug.

It's tough to say what may or may not happen in the game when you shell-out. Sometimes it gets lost, sometimes not... As for your gun loss, it is probably easier to start over with a new career, since it does look like things are a jumbled mess in your Save folder. I was trying to make corrections to the files here, but more than just the Watch Crew and Deck Gun Crew got mixed-up... Sorry for the mess you have, but don't shell-out unless you have to, and when you do, Save the game, exit, re-start and load the Save to continue, else you might end up with bad data in the Save folder...