Starting Over...Again
 

Any of you who have been following General Topics know by now that after years of complaining about my very old computer, I received a new one for Christmas. :D It should run SH3 with all the bells and whistles, including IABL's Merchant Fleet Mod. The first step is to install SH3, which I have just finished doing.

More to come. :sunny:

Step 2 was to re-install Multi-SH3 so I can keep a stock version isolated while I load GWX. I'll also be trying the other big mods, since for the first time I have a computer which should run them all.

What a Christmas present :woot:

Have fun :ping:

yea i had the same, i had a old computer that runned sh3 and 4 and 5 but it wasnt really good at running for ex. arma 3 and this christmas i got a gaming computer and i had to reinstall all my silent hunter stuff (because of DEF fourm group)

and don't forget to ... be more AGGRESSIVE ... glad to see your back at sea .

I will, thanks. :sunny:

Congrats on your Christmas Gift. Good way to start new year!

SH3 Commander is installed and programmed with my Loading Screens Mod. I was going to try for more tonight but I'm falling asleep in the middle of trying to work, so I guess it's bedtime.

Love the loading screens mod Steve.:up:

Best of luck with getting everything set up.

I'm now at the point where I think I'm ready to install h.sie's Hardcode Fix mod, but I'm having some confusion. I'm asking the questions in that thread, as is appropriate.

Well, that one's installed, and it works properly. Now for the fun part - re-installing my mods list and trying out new ones. :sunny:

Steve, glad to read that you are about ready to get back to the boats. Since you haven't played SH3 in several years, I think you're going to enjoy the changes that have become available.

You need to install all other mods before you edit the menu.txt and Campaign_SCR.mis files for h.sie's patcher. Make sure that the file you edit is the file that will be copied in last by JSGME. Otherwise, you may lose functionality in that last mod. This is more important for Campaign_SCR.mis, and very important if you are also using Stiebler's patches, because Stiebler wants you to edit menu_1024_768.ini and having that file out of sync can could you grief.

IMO, the best procedure for setting up h.sie's and Stiebler's supplements is to use JSGME to activate all the mods you plan to use, then set up the h.sie and Stiebler supplemental folders, then activate those two with JSGME. If you are going to experiment with various mods, you might want to do that first, before setting up the two supplemental folders.

Good luck and good hunting!

Thanks for that tip. I already have the h.sie supplement installed, but it's easy enough to disable it again. I haven't explored Stiebler's mod yet. I do have some experience with the menu_1024_768.ini file, so I know what to expect there.

This morning I installed the Wilhelmshaven Schleuse and Extra Ships mod. Everything works fine when testing with the Navigation Course, but when I tried a career it crashed. I tried taking out different mods with no luck. Then I tried launching it from SH3 Commander and it worked just fine. It looks like I'm good to go with a little adjusting.

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I WOULD NOW LIKE TO TAKE THIS TIME TO GIVE SOME ADVICE OF MY OWN.

If any newer members are reading this, I want you to listen carefully. One of the most common things we see here at Subsim is the cry for help:

"My game is crashing and I don't know why!" :wah:

"How does my mod soup look?" :dead:

I'm sorry if this seems a little harsh, but there is a very easy answer to all this: Never, ever, EVER install 30 mods and try to play the game. This is asking for trouble. ALWAYS install one mod at a time, and test each one as you go. This will result in two things, both positive.

1. If a mod doesn't work with the others you will know right away, and you will know which mod caused the problem. Also, because JSGME gives you warnings when a new mod overwrites an older one, you will know right away not only which mod caused the problem, but which one it had the conflict with. Then you can come here with specifics and anyone who might have the answer will be able to help immediately without feeling like he's pulling teeth.

2. Doing this will give you a better understanding of your computer and of the programs (games and mods) involved. Then you will know what to look for the next time you have a problem and you will be able to help others. We learn by doing, not by having others do it all for us.

Are you afraid of having to completely tear out the game, clean the registry and reload everything? TOO BAD! I've been playing subsims for thirty years now, and I've been playing SH3 (obviously not regularly or I wouldn't have this thread) for the almost ten years since it was released. I've uninstalled and reinstalled the whole game more times than I can count. No, it's not fun, but it is one of the perils of fiddling with stuff you don't know anything about. Don't want that to happen? Only run stock games or stick with just the tried-and-tested supermods.

Yes, that's a bit of a rant but it's also the truth. Everybody runs into problems and we are all here to help each other, but sometimes the new player doesn't understand how many times we've seen these exact same complaints. If you follow that single piece of advice - load your mods one at a time and test them - you'll save yourself and everybody else a lot of trouble later.

Excellent advice Sailor Steve, and not to be considered as harsh or as a rant at all.
I too have uninstalled, cleaned out the registry and re-installed a number of games over time.

All the issues I have had with SH3 have already been answered by a previous thread asking the same question, so no need for me to post the same problem again.
I think new SH3 players need to search these excellent forums, particularly the "stickies", before asking what has nearly always been answered before.

Can I just add to your advice that;
When installing a game that is to be modded that you create a simple installation process list, for future reference.
Mine sits in a special SH3 folder along with a copy of my JSGME exported "Activated Mods List"
That way I don't forget to install anything, or install in the wrong order.

Well I am nearly 62, so I am allowed a few senior moments :haha:

Well, I installed a couple of mods, then just to test I installed the GWX Enhanced Damage. I always had problems with that one on the old system, and I wanted to try it on the new one early on. I started the Torpedo Attack course, put one into the stationary freighter, surfaced, ran over and put two into the big freighter, then went after the little tanker. Two torpedoes later he was a burning wreck. I got a sinking message and...it crashed.

Maybe it will only work with the 4-Gig patch, which I uninstalled pending re-installing the h.sie fix. Maybe it just doesn't like me. I'll find out soon enough.

Also I'm getting a weird graphic glitch with lines in the water. I want to wait until I've tried a couple of my own ideas before posting a screenshot.

Congratulations on the new "baby"!
 

Just a couple of thoughts before you get into the details of what's ailing your new baby (SH3 with mods giving it the colic maybe?).

Regardless of the machine's capabilities, if you've got MFM installed it's almost guaranteed to crash SH3, at odd times and in strange, inconsistent circumstances, without the 4gb patcher (stand-alone or h.sie's supplied version will most likely solve that though).

Newer graphics cards and drivers do seem to create unusual glitches. Not knowing what brand of card you have...over on the SH4 forum is an NVIDIA tips, tricks and tweaks thread with lots of good info on how to get the best (or at least better) results from the oldies-but-goodies like SH3. Following those tips made a huge difference in the imaging on my machine...gave me good enough results to stick with SH3 and SH4 until "they" produce a worthy successor to one or the other, or both.

Anyway...good luck sorting it all out...you know there'll be plenty of help available here to assist. So, quit standing around the scuttle-butt waiting for mid-rats and get back out to sea! :arrgh!: