Realism- and gameplay-related hardcode fixes for SH3.EXE

[h.sie]

Statical repair-time bugfix to sh3.exe is easy. But sharing that exe file is illegal.

Question: Is it illegal to provide a tool that makes fixing a software bug very easy? It does no more than that. no disabling of copyright protection and so on.

Since I won't have starforce on my PC, I am not able and willing to patch the starforced version. So a person who wants longer repair times very much (as I do) and does only have the starforced version, will be forced to buy the non-protected software for some cents. So UBI could perhaps also take profit from that.

h.sie

I have to laugh about myself, having problems with legality/illegality and morale because I just fix a bug. On the other hand a well-known big software publisher seems not to have any morale problems to make promises (even promotion videos) and then take much money for a bug collection for which the attribute "alpha version" already is a compliment.

[h.sie]

(deleted)

[Rubini]

Originally Posted by h.sie

How to achieve Realistic Repair- and Flooding Times in SH3
---------------------------------------------------------

This is a technical demonstation for educational and research purposes only. It shows a new technique how SH3 could be modified in order to achieve longer repair times AND realistic floodingtimes.

Since it is strongly forbidden to modify copyrighted materials, you MUST IMMEDIATELY delete all files that are modified/created during this demonstration. It is not allowed to use these files for your gameplay and it is even more forbidden to share the files with others.

Unfortunately, I could not test the result, simply because it's forbidden.
But maybe it works, I don't know.


Step 0:
-------
Create a temporary working directory somewhere on your harddisk,
where you have write-permission.
Copy your sh3.exe into that directory.


Step 1:
-------
Download the File Checksum Integrity Verifier from Microsoft
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/841290
and copy the tool fciv.exe to your working directory.


Step 2:
-------
Check the Checksum of your sh3.exe. In DOS Box type:

>fciv sh3.exe

The result must be: 510b271d14621361386197be6bd8cc0c sh3.exe

That ist the sh3.exe Version 1.4.0.1 (Timestamp Jun, 14, 2005)
NOT patched with 4GB patch or similar.
If your Checksum differs, you cannot take part at that demonstration.


Step 3:
-------
Download bsdiff/bspatch packet from
http://sites.inka.de/tesla/others.html#bsdiff
and copy bspatch.exe to your working directory.


Step 4:
-------
Download the file V01 from my mediafire page and
put it into your working directory.
This file contains the longer repair times.


Step 5:
-------
Make a backup copy of your original sh3.exe by typing

> move sh3.exe sh3.old


Step 6:
------
Add the longer repair times stored in V01 to your old sh3 file by typing

>bspatch sh3.old sh3.exe V01


Step 7:
-------
Immediately delete the new sh3.exe with longer repair times without playing it!!!!
Rename back your sh3.old to sh3.exe.


Thank you.

ROTFL....ahahahah....sorry, my bad.
I have serious humor problems.

Now, seriously h.sie,
Many thanks and kudos to you by your hard work and the interest and passion to make sh3 a better game. It's a pity that things must be this way. I agree 1000% with yours words in the posts above about how absurd is this situation in particular...we are only trying to fix a game that we buy with promisses (by the devs/Ubi) that it would work as a sim...but after 5 years it is now just better by modders work...no necessary to say that devs/UBi don't support/make patchs for the game anymore. Well, all we know this old history.

OK, files downloaded, I will now follow yours directions and will delete the modified files immediately as you asked...

You'd waste your time patching a StarForce version as it's a direct
cause of many 'so called' bugs in SH3.

I feel that since UbiSoft released a StarForce free version?
They no longer support SH3.
(As if they have since 1.4b patch!)
So releaseing Patch files that fix issues is only helping put money in thier pockets years down the road.

I doubt they will ever say anything against anything that brings in a profit.
Heck, SH3 & SH4 sales are probably saveing thier arses in the SH5 fiasco!

[CherryHarbey]

h.sie,
thanks for educating me, I was sursprised that someone with as little computing skills as me could follow this demonstration. Struggled at first with step 7 as that was especially tricky.
Its a shame that I had to delete the amended file rather than use it but I wouldn't want to break any copyright laws.
Thanks to your great work, should the copyright laws change or Ubi chaneg the copyright status of SH3, I will be already equiped to change for the better the game I have paid for.

[Myxale]

You rock mate!

To bad I cannot sail atm. But those who can, post your experiences with this patch here!!

[h.sie]

it's no patch. it's a course.

[Badger Finn]

Good stuff h.sie this is something Id be interested to do
unfortunatly the bspatch.exe dos box dosnt remain open to write the command...

on vista but im running another small dos programme I use for work
so unable to figure why it dosnt fire up

Anyone with any ideas on that? ive tweaked vista so I may have killed a function?

as an aside I doubt ubi would be to interested in makin waves about this *coarse*

if any one wants to delete a coarse file my way it would be appreciated...

For any one else following along....
I run a that will not be mentioned .exe and even wiith star force enabled that which shall not be mentioned works...
still stuck with the disc to fire up the game but the you know what works...
should get around to fixing that vista prob one day...had no probs with xp sp2...

.

[Draka]

I'll come right out and say I have not, do not and will not use a Starforce enabled version. I've lost too many harddrives over the years to that and similar schemes. I bought and still have a fully legal copy - so Ubisoft HAS gotten their fee for this software - but the sh3.exe running on my system is from an "unauthorized" source. That being the case - is there going to be an advanced course to allow us to directly use your techniques to enable this function?

[Badger Finn]

EAW went down this road years ago with excellent results ...

I had about 4-5 different .exe all tweaked by others who knew what they doing...

[Rubini]

In respect to subsim.com I will not say to much, but this "course" really don´t work for unofficial nostarforce users.

The situation is really delicate as we have bought officialy the game, starforce have brought problems to a lot of ppl, then UBi released an official nostarforce version...but left the old owners of the game with the unique option to use the unofficial version. What a mess, UBI!

[Badger Finn]

Originally Posted by Rubini

In respect to subsim.com I will not say to much, but this "course" really don´t work for unofficial nostarforce users.

The situation is really delicate as we have bought officialy the game, starforce have brought problems to a lot of ppl, then UBi released an official nostarforce version...but left the old owners of the game with the unique option to use the unofficial version. What a mess, UBI!

Agree - this really is where the physics of the game can be fixed properly something ubi never bothered with for its paying customers! Its a damn shame it can be all taken out of context because this type of thing would really perfect/complement how SH3 is now imo.

Most of those ripping off this game 5 years ago would be long gone so Id say most who are still here are hard core u-boat subsimmers...????

However the nonstarforce deal makes no dif afaik since i use a nocd on a starforce version...just got to have the disk in to fire up the game...

stupid dos box thing...
any one want to delete a modified coarse file my way??

[CherryHarbey]

Originally Posted by Badger Finn

Good stuff h.sie this is something Id be interested to do
unfortunatly the bspatch.exe dos box dosnt remain open to write the command...

I'm on windows 7, so not sure how similar vista is....

I manually opened up the Command Prompt from the Accessories folder after selecting All Programs from the Windows logo bottom left of screen.
then typed cd a few times to get into the folder I'd put all the stuff in.
it then worked fine.
sorry if this telling your granny how to suck eggs.

[h.sie]

CherryH.... is right. Open Command prompt from Accesoires

[h.sie]

I am sorry to say that for me it's not possible to also make a course and demonstrate how to add longer repair times to starforce-protected executables.

The reason is as follows:

The non-protected executable contains large areas with code caves (code that does nothing, all bytes are set to zeroes: 00) where one can easily place the bugfix code for the repair times.

In the protected version I cannot find these code caves with sufficient size to place the bugfix code in it. It seems that the code caves have been removed intentionally in order to make code manipulations very hard - too hard for me.

In my store I can get unprotected SH3 for 4,99 Euros. That is nothing compared to the time I have to invest to fix the protected version.

Sorry.
h.sie