Sh4 and the replay.tmp file...

DeepIron · 05-18-08, 09:16 PM

I spent a little time today checking out SH4 and some of the "large file" issues popping up here and there on the forums... Some folks have voiced concerns at to whether or not RFB or OM might be the culprits.

Here's what I found out:

In a nutshell: SH4 creates a replay.tmp file in the users SH4 personal directory when it runs. The file can grow to gigabyte+ size during a long mission or campaign. A few things I've found:
1. As I posted elsewhere, if your drive is heaviy fragmented or low on disk space, the read/writes to the drive can take a while.
2. If #1 happens, and you use high TC, (above 2048) I think the replay.tmp can become corrupted, leading to the inability to save it properly.
3. A large file, even when properly written to disk, can take a while to read back during the "Save" phase of a game. I think users mistake this for a *problem* and abort the game early.
4. Neither RFB or OM do NOT have a detrimental effect on this file. I ran an identical mission in both my RFB modded SH4 and stock SH4 directories. The file size was virtualy identical.
5. IF the game is shutdown or exited correctly and then restarted, the old replay.tmp file is erased from the HD.

The way to get around these issues of writing to disk constantly is to increase your system RAM to 2GB or better (32 bit XP will only see 3.5GB sysetm RAM) and this will allow SH to store the replay.tmp file in memory.

If you can't install more RAM, then be sure you have plenty of space on your HD and that it's defragged as best as you can. Personally, I'm using Diskeeper and it works circles around the MS supplied stock defrag program.

Fish40 · 05-19-08, 03:55 AM

Good detective work! I have to agree about the defragging of the HD often

. I have both RFB and OM installed (presently playing a Drumbeat campaign), and don't seem to have large save files. If I do, I've never noticed because the games seem to save and reload fairly quickly.

As you pointed out, HD maintainance is key! I use Perfectdisk myself, and alsoCcleaner. I run them both every time I play!

05-19-08, 03:55 AM	#2
Fish40 The Old Man Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Yonkers, NY U.S.A. Posts: 1,507 Downloads: 154 Uploads: 0	Good detective work! I have to agree about the defragging of the HD often. I have both RFB and OM installed (presently playing a Drumbeat campaign), and don't seem to have large save files. If I do, I've never noticed because the games seem to save and reload fairly quickly. As you pointed out, HD maintainance is key! I use Perfectdisk myself, and alsoCcleaner. I run them both every time I play!

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05-18-08, 09:16 PM	#1
DeepIron Sea Lord Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Too far from the Pacific right now... Posts: 1,634 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Sh4 and the replay.tmp file... I spent a little time today checking out SH4 and some of the "large file" issues popping up here and there on the forums... Some folks have voiced concerns at to whether or not RFB or OM might be the culprits. Here's what I found out: In a nutshell: SH4 creates a replay.tmp file in the users SH4 personal directory when it runs. The file can grow to gigabyte+ size during a long mission or campaign. A few things I've found: 1. As I posted elsewhere, if your drive is heaviy fragmented or low on disk space, the read/writes to the drive can take a while. 2. If #1 happens, and you use high TC, (above 2048) I think the replay.tmp can become corrupted, leading to the inability to save it properly. 3. A large file, even when properly written to disk, can take a while to read back during the "Save" phase of a game. I think users mistake this for a problem and abort the game early. 4. Neither RFB or OM do NOT have a detrimental effect on this file. I ran an identical mission in both my RFB modded SH4 and stock SH4 directories. The file size was virtualy identical. 5. IF the game is shutdown or exited correctly and then restarted, the old replay.tmp file is erased from the HD. The way to get around these issues of writing to disk constantly is to increase your system RAM to 2GB or better (32 bit XP will only see 3.5GB sysetm RAM) and this will allow SH to store the replay.tmp file in memory. If you can't install more RAM, then be sure you have plenty of space on your HD and that it's defragged as best as you can. Personally, I'm using Diskeeper and it works circles around the MS supplied stock defrag program. __________________ RFB / RSRDC Beta Tester RFB / RSRDC Modding Forum: http://forum.kickinbak.com/index.php RFB Top Post link: http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=125529 RFB Loadout: RFB_V1.52_102408: RFB_V1.52_Patch_111608: RSRDC_RFBv15_V396