Does this patch work with SH3 Starforce or SH3 Starforce-free patched?

Patch installation A little confusing
 

Steibler: Great mod...but. Downloaded patch, put contents in a folder in my NYGM mods directory, dbl clicked on bspatch, dbl clicked on HsieOptionsSelector. After HsieOptionsSelector clicking dialog box said it could not locate sh3.exe in this folder. Put sh3.exe in folder with your patch files, dbl clicked bspatch, dbl clicked HsieOptionsSelector, dialog box says "this is the *unpatched* sh3.exe! It must be patched first!

Is there something I'm not doing or did I miss a step? Thanks.

silentwayIII

@Robin40:
No to both your questions.

You must have an unpatched version of SH3.exe which is free from Star Force.

Probably the file date on a suitable version of SH3.exe will be for the year 2006 - it is on my versions. (From a recent boxed edition of SH3 and from a downloadable version which lacks Starforce, see Neal Stevens' sticky in the SubSim SH3 main thread (not the Mods thread).)

@Silentway III.
You have correctly placed everything into its own folder.
However, if the HsieOptionsSelector says that you have an unpatched file, then it is certain that your attempt to patch SH3.exe did not work!

Place the unmodified, unpatched, SH3.exe in your special folder for this patch, with all the other items from the patch kit. Then double click on 'patch_SH3.bat'.

I know the patch works. Before I uploaded the patch kit, I tested it on my own unpatched SH3.exe (date 2006), and then used the Options Selector, and then installed the patched, options-selected SH3.exe into my SH3 game. THen I completed a full patrol with it, testing all the options.

Try again. Good luck!

Stiebler.

Hi mate,

Nice to see that someone is taking this in hand because this would be the only way to improve the game mechanic deep in it core.

Wish you the best of luck and with permission will included this in U-BOOT_HAHD.

Best regards Hans

Hey, I have the steam version and it fails to patch.

Stiebler,
Thanks for all your work. I have seven installs and backup installs of SH3.exe, one unmodified SH3GWX and one NYGM also unmodified.
All but two of them are starforce free and not modified or patched. Of these seven, six failed the patch and the last one did patch.
Since there is such a problem, apparently, with a lot of other people also executing the patch correctly, would it be able to post a patched SH3.exe file which would work with most or all installs? And then place this file in the program and execute the options? I don't know if this would work or be legal.
Also, what are the files "bspatch.exe and eciv.exe" Should I click on and run them after I have patched the SH3.exe file, and run the options? Or have they already been run by the program? I can't fine the info in the readme.
I am excited about running the game after these great mods are added, as most correct basic flaws that have never been addressed by the developers.
"Keep up the good work"

@Hans Witteman, KrazyRanger75, Irish 1958:

It is a pity that there seem to be so many versions of SH3.exe around, and so few that can be patched. However, H.sie has already looked into this problem, and there is no easy fix.

There is no other solution, you must have the correct version of SH3.exe. Why not buy the latest boxed version? It is very cheap now, certainly less than 5$/£ from Amazon.

However, one thing that H.sie and I cannot do: we cannot distribute a patched file of SH3.exe itself. This is against SubSim rules and breaks Ubisoft's copyright (H.sie and I are distributing our own original material, not that of someone else). It would also mean that no one would have to buy a copy of SH3 again, since most of the other SH3 files have been made freely available by the super-mods.

bspatch.exe and fciv.exe are files called by the patching kit, specifically by patch_SH3.bat (read this bat file with a text editor.) They are well known patching tools.

Hans Witteman: you can distribute my patch with U-boot_HAHD, but only the patch. Neither H.sie nor I can authorise distribution of the patched SH3.exe file itself. You should give credit to H.sie (major) and me (minor).

Stiebler.

@Hitman@
Many thanks for the feedback.

Unfortunately, there can be no fix in theory for air cover at high TC.

This is because the aircraft 'jumps' from point to point as it approaches the U-boat. The U-boat is moving slowly, and makes small jumps. The aircraft moves perhaps 10-15x faster, and therefore its jumps are 10-15x larger. At TC=1024, the jumps of both are 32x greater than at TC=32. This means that, at high TC, the aircraft is likely to jump over the U-boat without seeing it (limited visual/radar range) when both positions are calculated every code cycle. This is a random effect. Sometimes the aircraft will finish its jump close enough to the U-boat that both sides can see the other. But sometimes the jump will miss the U-boat by a distance outside the range of visibility from aircraft to U-boat and vice-versa.

It might perhaps be possible to identify when the aircraft is close to the U-boat, and reduce TC to a lower level. But that would be obvious to the player, who would dive at once. So this is not a solution either.

Concerning low TC close to land:
I do not know how the game recognises 'close to land'. A coding solution might be to measure depth below the U-boat, to detect shallow waters. But I believe that few players would wish to be forced to travel always at low TC when in shallow water.

Stiebler.

Acctually there is...

I'm working to release the source code of patSH3r under OSL3 in a couple of weeks (cleaning up the code). If you would do the same, this problem would be out of the way quite fast, I think. :up:

@Irish1958:
There might be more files than the exe-file that differs. I know two releases that have five different DLL-files too.

The patSH3r is a very good and democratic idea. Will be very good if all the sh3.exe patchs could be release this way.

I live in Brazil and we don't have Sh3 here anymore neither amazon allows me to buy it (import restrictions). I have the necessary files without starforce because a good soul here give me his files. But for sure not all ppl have or can have it.

And also a memory only patch is yet better (if possible of course).

ok even though the install instructions are alittle confusing. what i found is that like stiebler said you have to have a version of the exe thats before 2006. mine said 2005 which by the way i had to reinstall the original version and patch it then install everything again. so far it does work with gwx. tested out the slow sinking in silent running... totaly awsome. but what you have to do is make a new folder where ever you want and extract all files into it and then you find your sh3.exe in your sh3 main directory and right click on it and click on copy then open the folder you just made and extracted all the files to, right click in the window and click on paste, you should see the sh3.exe in your folder now. then you proceed as directed in his readme. hope that helps.:yeah:great work.


:salute:

Where to get the correct sh3.exe for the patch?
 

Steibler, after your reply to my post, I ordered, through subsim/Amazon, the boxed version of SilentHunter which also included sh2. Arrived today. Loaded it and then tool a look at the date of the file. June, 2005. So no luck! Who did you get your version from? My interest in the mod is considerable, but this is the fourth sh3 I've bought over the years and without knowing for sure that I am getting the right version, it willl probably be the last. Any help in directing me to the "right" version is appreciated.

I'm sure there are many other sh3 players who would like to use the mod, but getting the right version is paramount so that funds are not wasted on versions most of us already have, but won't work with the mod. Thanks.

SilentwayIII

My sh3.exe is from June 14th, 2005, too - and it's the correct one..

What file size is yours? -> right click on it -> Properties -> 1.331.200 Bytes

or better: what md5 checksum? -> 510b271d14621361386197be6bd8cc0c

@SilentwayIII:

I did not mean to imply that the SH3.exe file dated 12 February 2006 was the only one that might work with the H.sie patch system, merely that it was a version that did work.

It is the checksum total that counts, and determines whether or not the file will be accepted by the patching system. So try what you have with the patch-kit anyway.

Specifically, I have just re-checked the last version of SH3 that I purchased (from Amazon UK, several months ago). It is a DVD ROM with the logo 'Revival' clearly written in the bottom right corner of the front of the box packaging. The distributors are 'Focus Multimedia Ltd', www.focusmm.co.uk.
The date of the SH3.exe file in *this* box is 14 June 2005 (same as SquareSteelBar). It works fine with the patch kit, same checksum as the 2006 version.

Thanks for the helpful feedback, SquareSteelBar.

Stiebler.

You have a PM...

Best regards.

Fitzcarraldo :salute: