Realism- and gameplay-related hardcode fixes for SH3.EXE - Page 2

Stormfly · 08-31-10, 06:51 AM

very good news !

...if i think about the possibilitys we would have then OMG

h.sie · 08-31-10, 07:12 AM

@diving:

If you use the flooding times from nvdrifter, you have the well-known very long flooding times for the compartments, which I don't like.

h.sie

Rubini · 08-31-10, 03:22 PM

Well, well...this type of mod have the power to awake anyone from deep sleep...good work mate!

Looking forward for this mod!

Cheers,

Rubini.

h.sie · 09-01-10, 01:24 AM

Thanks for your good wishes, guys. Regarding repair times I am still very optimistic now, but I have to calm down your euphoria regarding possible "additions".

Little fixes like rising repair times, or (as LGN1 wanted), manipulating the dive time and CO2 level, are possible. Or maybe the "WO stays in bed when surfaced" bug can maybe be fixed. We'll see.

But my assembler knowledge is not good enough to add new features. I spent 5 hours only to realise a floating-point division by 60,0 because I still have problems with FPU commands.

As always, there are some drawbacks at the moment:

Since (at the current state) the changes will not be patched statically into the sh3.exe, there is a little launcher program required which overwrites a repair time routine in RAM.

1. This launcher currently does not work together with SH3Commander.

2. You have to trust me that the launcher is no malware/virus. The launcher uses code injection mechanism to overwrite routines of sh3.exe in RAM. This mechanism is also used by viruses.

The repair times for equipment are still displayed like this 0:02 (2 minutes). But these 2 minutes are now 2 hours. So I recommend to hide these (wrong) numbers and only show the text messages for damage "Light, Medium, Critical" in the GUI and add some time estimations e.g. "Medium (2 - 4 hours)" as in the LRT mod.

I can test it only for my version of sh3.exe and I've read somewhere that there are 4 different versions of the executable available. Pessimistic that it works with the other versions since it uses absolute hex-addresses. But adapting to the other versions is easy.

When the fix works stable I plan to apply my routines directly into the executable in order to make it independent from the launcher and compatible to SH3 Commander. I don't know if that is easy or not and I don't know if that is supported by this forum. If not, I'll do it only for my private use and share it with my family.

But: The 4 Gigabyte patch for sh3 is also a binary hack and nobody cares.....

First Beta maybe this weekend?

Greetings,
h.sie

SquareSteelBar · 09-01-10, 02:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by h.sie

...I don't know if that is supported by this forum. If not, I'll do it only for my private use and share it with my family...

Was it possible to adopt me?

BTW: in my opinion it doesn't matter in what way copyrighted files are changed; we do that since several years here.
But it does surely matter in what intention it is done - modding [tolerated and even welcomed by UBI] or illegal purposes [harming the copyright owner; I think your WIP isn't suitable to do so]...

Maybe it's a good idea to ask Uncle Neal...

Quote:

But: The 4 Gigabyte patch for sh3 is also a binary hack and nobody cares.....

Another example is MultiSH3 patching FileManager.dll

nemo7 · 09-01-10, 02:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SquareSteelBar

Was it possible to adopt me?

Count me in too please...

Stormfly · 09-01-10, 02:27 AM

dont worry, its a beginning and sounds promising, good to know that someone is after this issue, having enough courage and patience to deal with that in assembler, this knowledge is rare today and actual worth to be improved i think.

Rubini · 09-01-10, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nemo7

Count me in too please...

Me too!

The drawbacks that you exposed are not important and most of them are just fixable as you said. We can help you latter in fix those little issues if needed. This work have great potential to open doors to fix some others old annoying issues for Sh3. This type of mod is the last frontier in the mod work that this community yet didn't touched. Great work mate!

h.sie · 09-01-10, 11:51 AM

I am currently playing SH3 with fast flooding times as in GWX and the repair of the equipments takes, depending on the damage, some hours. I like that. An over 40 years old guy is jumping through his room like a child. Smiling.

At 12:00 I ran on a test naval mine. First, the flooding had to be stopped. Repairs of heavily damaged equipment (batteries) have not yet completely finshed 12 hours later. Tension.

Some long-time stability tests now and then it's time for a BETA.

Funny: it was one jump- and one floating-point-division command necessary to do the fix.
why did UBI not fix that?

CherryHarbey · 09-01-10, 03:53 PM

Sounds like you are making good progress,
I hope when complete that it is something that you are able to share with the rest of us.

h.sie · 09-01-10, 04:11 PM

Yes of course.

Rubini · 09-01-10, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by h.sie

...
Funny: it was one jump- and one floating-point-division command necessary to do the fix.
why did UBI not fix that?

Who could knows? When we make mods this question comes over and over again at our heads. Frequently some mods are so simple - but very hard to implement from modders perpective: without the correct tools, without the necessary knowledge of the structure of the game, without know exactly how the files work , etc. Kuddos to all we here; if we could add up all ours efforts and manpower in understand&modify this game we could had built 2 or 3 games much better than these ones for sure. But this is another history.

h.sie · 09-02-10, 03:04 AM

Hi Rubini,

I think, in 2005-2006, UBI had more interest to focus on SH4 development instead to fix bugs in SH3. Decisions are made mainly because of financial and market interests. Often wrong decisions. See SH5. To produce good and bugfree products seems to be of secondarily interest.

So I also thought to program my own Subsim with some talented programmers I know, but not with financial interest, only to have a perfect game. But then I look at the Danger From The Deep project. They are, surely, very talented - but no progress in the last years. So I gave up that plan.

Greetings,
h.sie

h.sie · 09-02-10, 03:07 AM

In order to use that mod you must have an permanent high-speed internet connection and an account at the h.sie server. you also have to agree that some data about you and your gaming behaviour is collected and evaluated. we guarrantee a server uptime of about 50% (except mondays) and also guarrantee that your savegames are cleared periodically.

nemo7 · 09-02-10, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by h.sie

In order to use that mod you must have an permanent high-speed internet connection and an account at the h.sie server. you also have to agree that some data about you and your gaming behaviour is collected and evaluated. we guarrantee a server uptime of about 50% (except mondays) and also guarrantee that your savegames are cleared periodically.

08-31-10, 06:51 AM	#16
Stormfly Serial Port Protector Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 1,424 Downloads: 366 Uploads: 0	very good news ! ...if i think about the possibilitys we would have then OMG __________________ Stormy......

08-31-10, 07:12 AM	#17
h.sie Admiral Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 2,192 Downloads: 131 Uploads: 0	@diving: If you use the flooding times from nvdrifter, you have the well-known very long flooding times for the compartments, which I don't like. h.sie __________________ My Mediafire page: http://www.mediafire.com/hsie

08-31-10, 03:22 PM	#18
Rubini Ocean Warrior Join Date: May 2005 Location: São Paulo Brazil Posts: 2,728 Downloads: 132 Uploads: 0	Well, well...this type of mod have the power to awake anyone from deep sleep...good work mate! Looking forward for this mod! Cheers, Rubini. __________________ One gamer's must-have mod is another gamer's waste of time. -Sailor Steve

09-01-10, 01:24 AM	#19
h.sie Admiral Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 2,192 Downloads: 131 Uploads: 0	" Thanks for your good wishes, guys. Regarding repair times I am still very optimistic now, but I have to calm down your euphoria regarding possible "additions". Little fixes like rising repair times, or (as LGN1 wanted), manipulating the dive time and CO2 level, are possible. Or maybe the "WO stays in bed when surfaced" bug can maybe be fixed. We'll see. But my assembler knowledge is not good enough to add new features. I spent 5 hours only to realise a floating-point division by 60,0 because I still have problems with FPU commands. As always, there are some drawbacks at the moment: Since (at the current state) the changes will not be patched statically into the sh3.exe, there is a little launcher program required which overwrites a repair time routine in RAM. 1. This launcher currently does not work together with SH3Commander. 2. You have to trust me that the launcher is no malware/virus. The launcher uses code injection mechanism to overwrite routines of sh3.exe in RAM. This mechanism is also used by viruses. The repair times for equipment are still displayed like this 0:02 (2 minutes). But these 2 minutes are now 2 hours. So I recommend to hide these (wrong) numbers and only show the text messages for damage "Light, Medium, Critical" in the GUI and add some time estimations e.g. "Medium (2 - 4 hours)" as in the LRT mod. I can test it only for my version of sh3.exe and I've read somewhere that there are 4 different versions of the executable available. Pessimistic that it works with the other versions since it uses absolute hex-addresses. But adapting to the other versions is easy. When the fix works stable I plan to apply my routines directly into the executable in order to make it independent from the launcher and compatible to SH3 Commander. I don't know if that is easy or not and I don't know if that is supported by this forum. If not, I'll do it only for my private use and share it with my family. But: The 4 Gigabyte patch for sh3 is also a binary hack and nobody cares..... First Beta maybe this weekend? Greetings, h.sie __________________ My Mediafire page: http://www.mediafire.com/hsie Last edited by h.sie; 09-01-10 at 05:19 AM.

09-01-10, 02:27 AM	#22
Stormfly Serial Port Protector Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 1,424 Downloads: 366 Uploads: 0	dont worry, its a beginning and sounds promising, good to know that someone is after this issue, having enough courage and patience to deal with that in assembler, this knowledge is rare today and actual worth to be improved i think. __________________ Stormy......

09-01-10, 11:51 AM	#24
h.sie Admiral Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 2,192 Downloads: 131 Uploads: 0	I am currently playing SH3 with fast flooding times as in GWX and the repair of the equipments takes, depending on the damage, some hours. I like that. An over 40 years old guy is jumping through his room like a child. Smiling. At 12:00 I ran on a test naval mine. First, the flooding had to be stopped. Repairs of heavily damaged equipment (batteries) have not yet completely finshed 12 hours later. Tension. Some long-time stability tests now and then it's time for a BETA. Funny: it was one jump- and one floating-point-division command necessary to do the fix. why did UBI not fix that? __________________ My Mediafire page: http://www.mediafire.com/hsie Last edited by h.sie; 09-01-10 at 02:33 PM.

09-01-10, 03:53 PM	#25
CherryHarbey Engineer Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Derby, UK Posts: 200 Downloads: 86 Uploads: 0	Sounds like you are making good progress, I hope when complete that it is something that you are able to share with the rest of us.

09-01-10, 04:11 PM	#26
h.sie Admiral Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 2,192 Downloads: 131 Uploads: 0	Yes of course. __________________ My Mediafire page: http://www.mediafire.com/hsie Last edited by h.sie; 09-01-10 at 04:32 PM.

09-02-10, 03:04 AM	#28
h.sie Admiral Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 2,192 Downloads: 131 Uploads: 0	Hi Rubini, I think, in 2005-2006, UBI had more interest to focus on SH4 development instead to fix bugs in SH3. Decisions are made mainly because of financial and market interests. Often wrong decisions. See SH5. To produce good and bugfree products seems to be of secondarily interest. So I also thought to program my own Subsim with some talented programmers I know, but not with financial interest, only to have a perfect game. But then I look at the Danger From The Deep project. They are, surely, very talented - but no progress in the last years. So I gave up that plan. Greetings, h.sie __________________ My Mediafire page: http://www.mediafire.com/hsie

09-02-10, 03:07 AM	#29
h.sie Admiral Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 2,192 Downloads: 131 Uploads: 0	In order to use that mod you must have an permanent high-speed internet connection and an account at the h.sie server. you also have to agree that some data about you and your gaming behaviour is collected and evaluated. we guarrantee a server uptime of about 50% (except mondays) and also guarrantee that your savegames are cleared periodically. __________________ My Mediafire page: http://www.mediafire.com/hsie Last edited by h.sie; 09-02-10 at 03:32 AM.