It seems that my problem has to do with being offered and accepting a new command (Balao) before it's actually available.

Anyway, loaded a save just before docking, refused the new command, went on two more patrols and then in late April I was again offered a new command - Balao, and this time I wasn't transfered, I remained in Pearl. Went on patrol with my new sub, ended, medals, party, no retirement!

Problem fixed in my case.

PS - I can't WAIT to start a new career in the Asian theater and experience all the exciting bugs all you guys are experiencing :rock:

LOL :D Yeah... This game is full of surprises :dead:

Ok, I found the way to fix the mothballing process!
I was in the sea and NOT docked and it still worked.


THIS PROCESS IS MANUAL!
MAKE SURE TO HAVE A BACKUP OF THE FILES YOU MODIFY!

1. Find your last savegame (located @ X:\My Documents\SH4\data\cfg\SaveGames\0000XXXX). Sort by date and the one at the top is the latest one.
2. Open the file CareerTrack.upc under UPCInitial folder.
3. Find the line starting with PlayerCurrentRating
4. Change it to the following: PlayerCurrentRating=1.000000
5. Find the line starting with PlayerHighestRating
6. Change it to the following: PlayerHighestRating=1.000000
7. Find the line starting with PlayerPatrolsCompleted
8. Change it to the following: PlayerPatrolsCompleted=10.000000 (10 worked for me)
9. Find the line starting with PlayerShipsSunk
10. Change it to the following: PlayerShipsSunk=1000.000000 (1000 worked for me)
11. Save file
12. Load your last savegame and have fun!

The result:
Instead of seeing this message:
http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/834...3535640wt9.gif

You will see the following two:
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/9190/01ng3.gif
Of course you'll choose No

And then the downside of this mod:
http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/9007/02pg0.gif


On the other side, you have to possibility to continue your career! :arrgh!:

NB! You will have to make sure that these 4 lines look like that EACH time before you have to dock at the port (because game change 1 of these lines and therefor you'll be mothballed!)


I hope someone will find this usefull :)



-------------

Edited @ 17.05.2007 to make sure that this "mod" works all the time, and not only 1st time

@ MaxT.dk - Have already moved on and been offered a new command a couple of patrols later, no retirement. I still have my save files backed up though, so I'll test your fix later today after work.

Nice find!

EDIT: yup, works just fine. Nice job.

Great find man! :up:

Thanks guys :)

I've also updated my previous post because the described method worked only if you get mothballed for the 1st time. Next time the same process wouldn't work. But I now edited the post with the relevant updated information and it works all the time (I've been mothballed already 4 times)

:arrgh!:

I have a question for you guys
 

Have you thought of doing this in all of the Flotill's instead?

This is how you have it now:

[Flotilla 1.UserPlayerUnitType 1]
ID= F1Porpoise
NameDisplayable= Porpoise class
AvailabilityInterval= NULL, NULL

But What about this?

[Flotilla 1.UserPlayerUnitType 1]
ID= F1Porpoise
NameDisplayable= Porpoise class
AvailabilityInterval= 1941-12-1, 1945-01-30

Set every sub up so you can keep them till the end of the war in every Flotilla and there are [3] main Flotillas by the way there is a forth but it is not compleated and that is for the Alutions.

But also set it up so the Gato and Balao in each Flotilla becomes available at a lator date so you can get the offer of a new sub like this for example:

[Flotilla 1.UserPlayerUnitType 4]
ID= F1Gato
NameDisplayable= Gato class
AvailabilityInterval= 1942-06-01, 1945-01-30

[Flotilla 1.UserPlayerUnitType 5]
ID= F1Balao
NameDisplayable= Balao class
AvailabilityInterval= 1943-06-01, 1945-01-30

So that on June 1st of 1942 you can get the Gato and on June 1st of 1943 you can get the Balao if you want them and all subs will be playable until the end of the war.

All Flotilla's have a start and end date just like the subs there is:

[Flotilla 1]
ID= PearlHarborCommand
NameDisplayable= Pearl Harbor
AvailabilityInterval=NULL, NULL
[Flotilla 1.Base 1]
ID= PearlHarbor
NameDisplayable= Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
ExternalBaseName=Pearl Harbor
AvailabilityInterval= NULL, NULL

[Flotilla 2]
ID= FremantleCommand
;NameDisplayable= Asiatic Fleet Submarine Force
NameDisplayable= Asiatic Fleet
AvailabilityInterval=NULL, NULL
[Flotilla 2.Base 1]
ID= Manila
NameDisplayable= Cavite Naval Base, Manila, Philippines
ExternalBaseName=Manila
AvailabilityInterval= NULL, 1941-12-23

[Flotilla 3]
ID= BrisbaneCommand
NameDisplayable= Brisbane
AvailabilityInterval=1942-04-15, 1945-01-30
[Flotilla 3.Base 1]
ID= Brisbane
NameDisplayable= Brisbane, Australia
ExternalBaseName= Brisbane
AvailabilityInterval= NULL, NULL

[Flotilla 4]
;ID= AlaskaCommand
;NameDisplayable= Aleutians
;AvailabilityInterval=1942-02-15, 1943-11-31
;[Flotilla 4.Base 1]
;ID= DutchHarbor
;NameDisplayable= Dutch Harbor, Aleutian Islands
;ExternalBaseName= Dutch Harbor
;AvailabilityInterval= NULL, NULL

You need to set up each of the subs available with a start and end date you desire and this way you can keep them and you from being MOTHBALLED!

This is in Data/UPCData/UPCCampaignData [Flotillas UPC]

I hope this helps everyone out!?

Dave

I don't think this will help, leovampire, as 99% of the users looking for this solution just experienced this problem and they want to fix it here and now (and most likely they aren't docked).

Now, I'm not entirely sure, but your solution... Wouldn't it require to restart the career? Again, I'm not sure about this, but I've heard that any changes to that file after you've started the career wouldn't take any effect on your current career (which isn't that useful, is it?).

Sadly yes... i was enforced to retired after my first patrol :dead:.

I will never understand why to fix a non broken thing....

SH III was fine on this... why to add this anoying feature into SH IV !!! :damn: to fix a non broken thing...

I don't see why it would require a restart
 

If the game takes it's info from this file and that end date hasn't happend yet then it should work. I mean originaly it was set for NULL after the Mod. The only other thing I could see in the player career track was about renown and prestiage but there are ranks leading all the way up to rear Admiral set up for the Player so you should be able to continue after this change.

Dave

@leovampire, are you planning to upload this as an addition to Ducimus mod?

Nope wanted to give a heads up to what I found
 

Don't want to step on any toes just giving people an idea to solve the problem and let Ducimus set up his Mod this way if he choses to.

I would only do that if asked and all concerned approved.

I already have been asking for permission personaly to adjust mods I needed to change to make the Merchant ships, Carriers, Airports & Airplanes work right for people.

You see I keep finding and running into all this stuff as I am looking for what I need to adjust and make the Merchant ships have cargo and carry cargo as well have engine rooms and fuel bunkers for them.

Dave