[REL] 3000 Yard/Meter Bearing Plotter Tool

[bifutake]

i tried using the "3000 Meter Bearing Tool (1440x)", so i followed the instructions and enabled it after everything else i use:

rfb 2.0
rfb 2.0 patch 23/4/2010
rfb alternate nomographs
stock map icons
nav map make-over 2.1
small nav-tools for rfb 2.0
bigger better protractors

in the gameplay options i have the metric system enabled.

but when i start the first war patrol ("hunt for the wounded bear"), the game always ctd's when i switch to the bridge (double-click on the main icon). when i disable it (just to be sure, i disabled everything and then enabled the rest one by one, without the bearing tool), everything works fine.

my specs:

AMD Athlon II X4 630 (2.8 GHz)
on a Gigabyte GA-MA785GT-UD3H
with 4 GB (2x2) DDR3 RAM
and an ATI Radeon Sapphire HD 5770 (1 GB)
driving a Win7 Ultimate x64 SP1 system

my resolution is 1440x900 on a 22" wide-screen (in-game as well as out of it).

[CapnScurvy]

Originally Posted by bifutake

i tried using the "3000 Meter Bearing Tool (1440x)", so i followed the instructions and enabled it after everything else i use:

rfb 2.0
rfb 2.0 patch 23/4/2010
rfb alternate nomographs
stock map icons
nav map make-over 2.1
small nav-tools for rfb 2.0
bigger better protractors

in the gameplay options i have the metric system enabled.

but when i start the first war patrol ("hunt for the wounded bear"), the game always ctd's when i switch to the bridge (double-click on the main icon). when i disable it (just to be sure, i disabled everything and then enabled the rest one by one, without the bearing tool), everything works fine.

my specs:

AMD Athlon II X4 630 (2.8 GHz)
on a Gigabyte GA-MA785GT-UD3H
with 4 GB (2x2) DDR3 RAM
and an ATI Radeon Sapphire HD 5770 (1 GB)
driving a Win7 Ultimate x64 SP1 system

my resolution is 1440x900 on a 22" wide-screen (in-game as well as out of it).

Are you using the Large Address Aware app to have the game use all 4 Gb of ram memory you have?

The "Large Address Aware" application can be found HERE.

The game uses a lot of resources, A LOT OF THEM. Graphics is the number one killer of using the ram your system provides. You've probably noticed rendering one ship isn't going to slow down your system too much, but getting into a convoy of rendered ships, the system slows down. Unlike the days when the game was first released (March 2007) when the "high end" computers maybe would offer a single Gb of ram memory, todays average systems are using 3 to four times this amount. There are ways around getting more ram into play when using a modern system that has more ram than the game was designed for. If your system has over 3 Gb of ram, a program like LAA will help. You need to tell this older game to "go ahead, use more ram, it's available....so use it!". That's what this little program does, tells the game to use more ram since it's available.

Try it and see if it doesn't help. It helped me with a modern system using an older game called "Sid Meiers Railroads". Stopped the CTD's.

I guess I should make a new bearing tool that's smaller than the 3000 yard/meter versions. The larger the screen resolution you use, the larger the bearing tool image needed to be in order to measure correctly. I've not looked in a while, but the 1920x1080 version is like several feet wide!! It takes up a lot of memory to render it on the map. Too much memory if your system isn't a real horse to pull the load....and even if it is, you'll need an app like the LAA to get the older game to work as expected. After all, the stock image for the sub icon on the Nav map is just a couple of Mb in size (that's about a fraction of an inch in width/height).

[bifutake]

please take a quick look at these screenshots and tell me what you think...


without the mod, no crash, task manager's performance tab:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...est01-a-ok.png

with it, ctd, task manager's performance tab:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...test02-ctd.png

with it, ctd, process monitor:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...test03-ctd.png

without it, no crash, process monitor:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...est04-a-ok.png


i could very well be wrong but it seems to me that i'm running the game with almost no memory to spare and when i activate this mod it exceeds the limits of my machine, not the game itself. is that true or am i just rambling on and i should simply try out the laa application?



edit - well, i guess i need more rammage (TONNAGE!) because, even with the laa enabled, i'm crashing at the exact same spot:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...test05-ctd.png

does this mean i can expect more ctd's when i run into some heavy action? should i consider disabling some of these mods?



edit2 - same spot (start the game, choose "war patrol - hunt for the wounded bear", see the navmap, zoom in and out, double-click to bridge-view and, ctd permitting, take a long look around) in vanilla (no ctd, ofc):

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...06-vanilla.png

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...07-vanilla.png

yup, seems like no mods for me, at least until i get some more juice fo' mah boat...

[CapnScurvy]

Personally, I haven't got a clue when examining those Windows performance stats.

Before throwing in the towel, why don't you start a Campaign and see how the game reacts with your mod list. The "Wounded Bear" mission may be the cause of the CTD's rather then the mods your running. Could be something in RFB that this particular mission isn't finding (lack of a file; looking for a particular file that RFB or one of the other mods changed/renamed), and that's causing the CTD.

The LAA should help in bringing the game up to the level of memory your system has. So I'd stick with it for any game that's as old as SH4 (almost 6 years old).

[bifutake]

Originally Posted by CapnScurvy

why don't you start a Campaign and see how the game reacts with your mod list

it's even worse. when it first loaded (outside of harbor), the screen was entirely green. after several alt-tabs to check on performance, i got my command room view, albeit extremely laggy with white graphical errors/holes on my dashboard where all the buttons should've been. clicked on the navmap (the one on the table in front of my diving officer) and it was pink. esc, go to main menu - freeze. alt-tab stopped responding so i resorted to ctrl+alt+del, selected the task manager and it simply crashed.

i need more ram, there's no other explanation i can think of (another 4 gigs should do). performance results were the same - at around 1.65 gb (free physical memory, according to the task manager) it ctd's.

[CapnScurvy]

Sometimes the most obvious question is missed because it's assumed.

Are you running Silent Hunter 4 version 1.5? Your game version is found in the bottom right corner of the "Main" menu screen.

With the installation of JSGME, did you follow it's instructions in making a "Snapshot" of your newly installed game files? The Snapshot is used to compare the game files integrity at times like this when you find things going haywire. After asking JSGME to "Compare files to the snapshot", are they the same? You could find a couple of files "added"......like a screen shot image, or the file SI.bin......these file additions are normal. Any other changes are not.

[bifutake]

it is 1.5. i'll try checking the integrity but unfortunately, i haven't made a snapshot. i guess this means i have to reinstall the game.

btw. i just came back from the store, installed the additional 1x4 gigs of ram (same tact frequency as the other two modules - 1333 mhz) and still it crashes on the "wounded bear" when i switch to bridge view.

performance screenshots:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...test08-ctd.png
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...test09-ctd.png


edit: can't start a campaign either. navmap looks normal (not pink anymore), there was no green screen of death at the command room, but the white graphical holes remain where dashboard and gauges ought to be and it ctd's when i press the shortcut for bridge (f4 i think).

edit2: when i disable the bearing tool, everything seems to be in order, at least in the beginning. process monitor says maximum memory usage was 1.56 gb. i wonder if it would ctd if i reached 1.65 in battle...


edit3: fresh install, laa enabled and still it ctd's at around 1.65 gb. this time i added some more mods (rsrdc) but the new campaign never even loaded, it just froze and crashed when i accessed task manager.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...modlist-01.png

[bifutake]

this deserves a new post. i found the solution at last:

http://www.subsowespac.org/the-patro...ry-boost.shtml





edit: oh and, CapnScurvy, much obliged for your assistance. cheers.

[CapnScurvy]

Hurray!!!!!

Good find on the Windows 7 walk through!

I'm still using WinXP 32 bit, and Vista 64 bit, so any help required in Windows 7 is getting out beyond my experience. From what you described it seemed it was more related to the game not accessing your system's memory than anything else. This information should be placed into a "sticky" for those other Windows 7 users that will undoubtedly find the same issue.

Maybe bifutake, you could start another thread with what you've discovered, then write Webster, or one of the other moderators, and ask them to add it wherever the information would do the most good.

Glad to help where I can.

[bifutake]

here's the new thread, for future reference:

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=202192

[thm1223]

Hi guys,

New guy here to the forum, but long time SH4 player. Would it be possible for a 2560x version of this mod to be made? I recently upgraded to a 30" gaming monitor. And while the increased resolution is awesome, it makes me slightly melancholic that some of my mods are now unusable with the game!

[CapnScurvy]

Originally Posted by thm1223

Hi guys,

New guy here to the forum, but long time SH4 player. Would it be possible for a 2560x version of this mod to be made? I recently upgraded to a 30" gaming monitor. And while the increased resolution is awesome, it makes me slightly melancholic that some of my mods are now unusable with the game!

Welcome to Subsim!!

Can a 2560x version be made?

Yes it can, but I don't think you'd want to run it on your computer. I've had lots of complaints with the larger resolution versions from gamers that say they get slow downs, and CTD's. The fact that the 1920x version of the scaled image measures in feet, rather than inches, takes a lot of computer horse power to render!

The problem that's rearing it's head more and more these days, are computers are getting ahead of the software that's running on them. SH4 was released almost 6 years ago. There's files in-game that date back to 2006. The point is since that time, we've had 5 major OS upgrades. Instead of thinking of a dream hard disc having 1 gig of memory; the norm is wanting a 5 terabyte, with no disc at all. AND, the dream of having 1 gig of ram memory has given way to needing a half a dozen. Don't get me started about the monitor change from analog CRT, to todays LCD! All since the game was released.

The game is hard pressed to support todays technology. That's why applications like the Large Address Aware are needed to make an older game function with the new stuff.

Making a mod that will give you an accurate range/bearing on the navmap for 3000 yards distance can be done. I just don't think it's practical.

[thm1223]

Originally Posted by CapnScurvy

Welcome to Subsim!!

Can a 2560x version be made?

Yes it can, but I don't think you'd want to run it on your computer. I've had lots of complaints with the larger resolution versions from gamers that say they get slow downs, and CTD's. The fact that the 1920x version of the scaled image measures in feet, rather than inches, takes a lot of computer horse power to render!

The problem that's rearing it's head more and more these days, are computers are getting ahead of the software that's running on them. SH4 was released almost 6 years ago. There's files in-game that date back to 2006. The point is since that time, we've had 5 major OS upgrades. Instead of thinking of a dream hard disc having 1 gig of memory; the norm is wanting a 5 terabyte, with no disc at all. AND, the dream of having 1 gig of ram memory has given way to needing a half a dozen. Don't get me started about the monitor change from analog CRT, to todays LCD! All since the game was released.

The game is hard pressed to support todays technology. That's why applications like the Large Address Aware are needed to make an older game function with the new stuff.

Making a mod that will give you an accurate range/bearing on the navmap for 3000 yards distance can be done. I just don't think it's practical.

I see. Well if you or someone either would be willing to make it or has already, I sure wouldn't mind at least trying it and would be greatly appreciative! Worst that happens is it doesn't work right?

Wow how rude of me. I almost forgot to mention thanks for the welcome!

[CapnScurvy]

You're very welcome right back.

Since I don't have anything that could render a 2560x resolution, I'm out of the question. I would need to test the image every time I made a change to see when it reads accurately. My thought would be for a screen resolution of that size, the 3000 yard distance would be too large. I think cutting it in half, down to a 1500 yard distance, might make it workable on a computer that's got enough horse's to pull it.

The bearing tool is nothing but an image file, enlarged to the correct resolution to have it read accurately. The problem with the game, it doesn't allow the map screen to render the same image sized for each and every resolution one could use. That's why there are specific bearing tool mods for each resolution, and for yard or meter measurement. The image is an Alpha image in each of the Submarine folders. With the right tools, you can export the Alpha image and work with it in Photoshop. Like I said, the 3000 yard distance makes the 1920x image VERY LARGE. Doubling it is out of the question, making a 1500 yard image would be just about right.

[mikehcl]

Hi everyone, I modified your mod for the 2560x resolution, obviously the game loading time has increased twice, however my i7 4970k although not recently loaded the game equally, I still recommend a performing PC, or as I did I will load the individual mods of each sub depending on the sub you are using on a mission or in a campaign. For those who want to post the link to download the mod.
Install the single mod with JSGME depending on the mission, the campaign and the sub that has been assigned to you.
Greetings.

http://www.mediafire.com/file/7lyn4c...l_Sub.rar/file