Saves Frustration

podunkpete · 03-15-14, 05:13 PM

I'm at wits end, about to give up careers. For some reason saving games in a career is a crapshoot, usually with the odds against me. I'm running Wolves of the Pacific with OM 7.2 and nothing else. I had made it to 01/45 with increasing problems with saves that just couldn't be restarted. In the end I had no working saves. Goodbye 2 carriers and a huge European liner. I blew out everything, re-installed and started over, and on my 3rd patrol I've got a saved game that is useless. I've tried saving on the surface, not making any changes for a period before a save, reducing sound/graphic complexities,you name it. I'm guessing some upgrade outside the game is causing me heartache, but I've also noticed the museum also crashes. Any ideas??

fireftr18 · 03-15-14, 06:04 PM

Are you overwriting saves? That's normally the problem. Always save in a new file. I start with a master save while in the office, ex: "Fireftr18." The while saving on patrol, I add a number to it, ex: "Fireftr18-1." After finishing a patrol, delete them all and start over.

TorpX · 03-15-14, 09:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by podunkpete

I'm guessing some upgrade outside the game is causing me heartache, but I've also noticed the museum also crashes. Any ideas??

You aren't changing/experimenting with mods between saves, are you? That usually leads to problems.

The museum has always been flakey; I wouldn't worry about that.

mobucks · 03-16-14, 09:04 AM

I also suggest never to save near any AI, never to save near any harbor.

I always save while surfaced, open water (no nearby landmass), all stop, no units within ~20 km. (or whatever the distance is that draws units.) I don't even save near sinking/destroyed units.

torpedobait · 03-16-14, 10:20 AM

It may be superstition according to some on the board (no disrespect intended), but in addition to being at least 50nm from any shore installation, etc. I followed someone's advice and only save when surfaced and in the Control Room. Works flawlessly for me.

TorpX · 03-16-14, 10:52 PM

I don't know if it's superstition (or maybe trauma from SH3), but my experience is very different. I've saved in many different circumstances with very few problems.

I have never overwritten saves, though.

Diopos · 03-17-14, 02:29 AM

I rarely had any problems with saved files (even overwritten ones). What I have observed is a lag during the opening of said files when there are a lot of saved files in the folder. So, what I do during a career, is that I delete save files from previous missions, except from the "in port" ones and those of my current mission. Now, what is a "lag" in my system, might something more severe in another system ...

.

fireftr18 · 03-17-14, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by torpedobait

It may be superstition according to some on the board (no disrespect intended), but in addition to being at least 50nm from any shore installation, etc. I followed someone's advice and only save when surfaced and in the Control Room. Works flawlessly for me.

This goes back to older systems when sh4 came out. The computers had difficulty processing all the information to load the game. Newer systems don't have that problem.

Aktungbby · 03-17-14, 03:15 PM

Podunkpete! after a year of silent running! on your second post!

podunkpete · 03-17-14, 04:40 PM

To all, thanks for the many responses. I did forget to mention one thing, I had also used Multish4, keeping an unused copy of a clean install (well, I fired it up, cleared the harbor and did a save to make sure it worked.) This weekend, I blew everything out again, re-installed (no mods) and am keeping my fingers crossed. Years of Happy Times and then this. Something for those with deeper knowledge than myself to chew on: When I opened the last two saves before the saving collapse, the screen opened to being told that first one, then a second torpedo was in the water. With no targets in the area, I checked onboard stores and found that I indeed still had a full load of torps! I was informed in due time that the torpedoes had missed, surprise, surprise. Hmmm, has someone hacked my computer and hijacked my boat???

TorpX · 03-18-14, 12:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by podunkpete

I'm at wits end, about to give up careers. For some reason saving games in a career is a crapshoot...

Ummm....didn't think to ask before, but...

Are you using version 1.5 of SH4? Most recent mods require the latest version, 1.5.

Otherwise, if you are having problems that are severe enough that you must reinstall the game, I would delete any saved games/careers/whatever, and start fresh. You can't be sure what might be corrupt in the saves.

russ663 · 03-20-14, 09:29 AM

hey bro,

Ive had the same thing with torps running and full load still. Ive also had probs upon saving and exiting it crashes to desktop, upon reload it will fail, but on second try it loads fine.

As mentioned i have at times had to delete all my saves and start over, but usually have no probs overwriting files.

Do wish you luck

russ

CapnScurvy · 03-20-14, 10:18 AM

I think good "Save" practice should include deleting your older saved points. Keeping too many saved game points will just slow down the whole process. Keep the saved points that your working on now, but delete the older saved points you won't go back to.

As far as the Museum not working properly......that's a problem. CTD's within the Museum usually means a particular object (ship, plane, whatever) isn't set correctly to be displayed in-game. This means that when that particular object is called on to be displayed in-game, you'll get a CTD during game play. Simple things like proper "Type", or "UserDisplayName", can throw the game into a CTD when one file doesn't have the same parameter as another. Or, there aren't sufficient modeled files that go along with the model (like a texture file) to have it displayed correctly. If the Museum can't display a particular object? It won't display it in-game either.

One way to know which Museum object is the culprit is to run the Museum feature and just jump from one object to the next, keeping tract of which objects are displayed correctly. The object that doesn't display.....sending you to the desk top, is the object that's a problem. You'll need to restart the game, restart the Museum, and take a look at the Museum list of objects you have the CTD with. That next object after the last one correctly displayed is the problem one.

There can easily be more than one object having a problem. So, recheck again the list, this time avoiding the problem object.

Sniper297 · 03-20-14, 10:38 AM

If your "My Documents" folder isn't on an SSD, I would suggest deleting all saves, clean up and defrag the hard drive, run check disk to mark bad sectors, then try again from the start.

LCQ_SH · 03-20-14, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mobucks

I also suggest never to save near any AI, never to save near any harbor.

I always save while surfaced, open water (no nearby landmass), all stop, no units within ~20 km. (or whatever the distance is that draws units.) I don't even save near sinking/destroyed units.

Lol... that's is lovely.......not being able to save whenever you want to.......

I've had had the same troubles (except the torps one...), I was having more petty officers than allowed (Guess it's a bug that allows me to promote all sailors to petty officers...) and all my saves after that were corrupt......just deleted the extra petty officers and that's it...

Good luck

03-15-14, 05:13 PM	#1
podunkpete Sailor man Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Sub Capital of the World - Grotn Ct USA Posts: 47 Downloads: 189 Uploads: 0	Saves Frustration I'm at wits end, about to give up careers. For some reason saving games in a career is a crapshoot, usually with the odds against me. I'm running Wolves of the Pacific with OM 7.2 and nothing else. I had made it to 01/45 with increasing problems with saves that just couldn't be restarted. In the end I had no working saves. Goodbye 2 carriers and a huge European liner. I blew out everything, re-installed and started over, and on my 3rd patrol I've got a saved game that is useless. I've tried saving on the surface, not making any changes for a period before a save, reducing sound/graphic complexities,you name it. I'm guessing some upgrade outside the game is causing me heartache, but I've also noticed the museum also crashes. Any ideas??

03-15-14, 06:04 PM	#2
fireftr18 Ocean Warrior Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Kentucky Posts: 2,528 Downloads: 77 Uploads: 0	Are you overwriting saves? That's normally the problem. Always save in a new file. I start with a master save while in the office, ex: "Fireftr18." The while saving on patrol, I add a number to it, ex: "Fireftr18-1." After finishing a patrol, delete them all and start over. __________________ Of all the forms of Martial Arts, Karaoke causes the most pain!

03-16-14, 10:20 AM	#5
torpedobait Ace of the Deep Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Colorado Posts: 1,073 Downloads: 397 Uploads: 0	It may be superstition according to some on the board (no disrespect intended), but in addition to being at least 50nm from any shore installation, etc. I followed someone's advice and only save when surfaced and in the Control Room. Works flawlessly for me. __________________ Run Silent, Run Deep, and Sink 'em All

03-16-14, 10:52 PM	#6
TorpX Silent Hunter Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 3,975 Downloads: 153 Uploads: 11	I don't know if it's superstition (or maybe trauma from SH3), but my experience is very different. I've saved in many different circumstances with very few problems. I have never overwritten saves, though.

03-17-14, 02:29 AM	#7
Diopos Ace of the Deep Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Athens, the original one. Posts: 1,226 Downloads: 9 Uploads: 0	I rarely had any problems with saved files (even overwritten ones). What I have observed is a lag during the opening of said files when there are a lot of saved files in the folder. So, what I do during a career, is that I delete save files from previous missions, except from the "in port" ones and those of my current mission. Now, what is a "lag" in my system, might something more severe in another system ... . __________________ - Oh God! They're all over the place! CRASH DIVE!!! - Ehm... we can't honey. We're in the car right now. - What?... er right... Doesn't matter! We'll give it a try anyway!

03-16-14, 09:04 AM	#4
mobucks Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 713 Downloads: 209 Uploads: 0	I also suggest never to save near any AI, never to save near any harbor. I always save while surfaced, open water (no nearby landmass), all stop, no units within ~20 km. (or whatever the distance is that draws units.) I don't even save near sinking/destroyed units.

03-17-14, 03:15 PM	#9
Aktungbby Gefallen Engel U-666 Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: On a tilted, overheated, overpopulated spinning mudball on Collision course with Andromeda Galaxy Posts: 30,016 Downloads: 24 Uploads: 0	welcome back Podunkpete! after a year of silent running! on your second post! __________________ "Only two things are infinite; The Universe and human squirrelyness?!!

03-17-14, 04:40 PM	#10
podunkpete Sailor man Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Sub Capital of the World - Grotn Ct USA Posts: 47 Downloads: 189 Uploads: 0	To all, thanks for the many responses. I did forget to mention one thing, I had also used Multish4, keeping an unused copy of a clean install (well, I fired it up, cleared the harbor and did a save to make sure it worked.) This weekend, I blew everything out again, re-installed (no mods) and am keeping my fingers crossed. Years of Happy Times and then this. Something for those with deeper knowledge than myself to chew on: When I opened the last two saves before the saving collapse, the screen opened to being told that first one, then a second torpedo was in the water. With no targets in the area, I checked onboard stores and found that I indeed still had a full load of torps! I was informed in due time that the torpedoes had missed, surprise, surprise. Hmmm, has someone hacked my computer and hijacked my boat???

03-20-14, 09:29 AM	#12
russ663 DEFENDERS LEMC Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Florida USA Posts: 27 Downloads: 19 Uploads: 0	saves hey bro, Ive had the same thing with torps running and full load still. Ive also had probs upon saving and exiting it crashes to desktop, upon reload it will fail, but on second try it loads fine. As mentioned i have at times had to delete all my saves and start over, but usually have no probs overwriting files. Do wish you luck russ

03-20-14, 10:38 AM	#14
Sniper297 The Old Man Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Philadelphia Shipyard Brig Posts: 1,386 Downloads: 160 Uploads: 19	If your "My Documents" folder isn't on an SSD, I would suggest deleting all saves, clean up and defrag the hard drive, run check disk to mark bad sectors, then try again from the start.