There is an easy way to resolve the issues that Steam version encounters:
SFSF Module (Steam Fix & Starforce removal):
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=227473
Link to latest version is in very last post in the above thread, still waiting for it to be released from the "file download queue" before it will show up in the downloads section.
Good hunting!
Edited to add: I almost forgot. If you are using Windows 10, I have found running SH3.exe in Windows XP SP2 compatibility mode helps a lot. It has eliminated ctd's when trying to load saved games.
Hope this helps.