Question about activating mods

[Arlo]

I'm experiencing all the joy (read frustration) from the past using JSGME. Don't get me wrong - it's an amazing tool when it works ... and it may just be the way I use it. I'll mod the game. Then I want to test how it looks/feels ... but now the game won't boot up (either via shortcut or by opening the folder and clicking on the application). I'll unmod ... then I'll reboot my machine ... then I'll check to see if the SH4 folder I already deleted somehow came back, miraculously ... then I'll remod (in this case FOTRSU then interiors then Tambor battle markings). Then I reboot my machine. Then I try the shortcut - no joy. I try the application in folder. Same. I unmod. I reboot. I try the vanilla game application. No joy there either.

Eventually, using these same steps over and over (we all know what the definition of insanity is) after 48 to 72 hours it'll decide to work.

Question: I add FOTRSU - it is in black
I add interiors - FOTRSU turns grey
I add the Tambor battle markings folder - FOTRSU is still grey

That normal?

I think this time I'll log a handwritten journal about each little individual step I take to make the game playable indicating failures up to success. There has to be a little step somewhere that I'm missing ... other than complete uninstall and reinstall of the game (which I remember doing last time). I don't want to keep doing that to change mods. I might also look up the thread to see about having multiple installs.

[propbeanie]

SH4 in the 'modern' Windows can be very frustrating. I have no issues in a machine with Windows XP and Windows 7 dual-boot. None whatsoever. I have 3 HD in the machine, the game is in the D: drive, in a "Games" folder I created. I moved my Windows 7 User folders to the E: drive, and the Save folder shows up in the "E:\Users \UserName \Documents \SH4" folder like it should. Using the Windows 10 machines, I will have trouble with a similar set-up in that the Save folder does NOT go where it is told to. In this case, Windows 10 will put the Save folder in the root of the drive where MultiSH4 is running. That can be difficult to remember when clearing the Save folder. Most folks don't move their User documents though, and you would not normally experience that.

However, what has happened on my Windows 10 machines the last few updates is that I have had to alter the Properties page for the SH4.exe file (again) on them. I now have to tick just about every box. Navigate into your game folder, find and select the SH4.exe file, right-click on it, and choose "Properties" from the bottom of the resultant context menu. Click on the "Compatibility" tab at the top of that Properties window, and go down the list:



that 2nd little dialog Window is from clicking the "Change high DPI settings" button. On the one machine, I have to click the top box there for "Program DPI" also, and make certain it says for the program to be in charge when it is started. The video card and display resolution dictate what you need to do, but you do have to experiment with these settings.

That all assumes that you have the game installed in a non-protected folder, one that you created yourself. The game's default install routine will put it in "C:\Program Files (x86)", and it being there, will have Windows interfering with all modding attempts. Another point of importance is to be certain that the LAA or NTCore 4Gig Patch (or whatever you use) has actually set the bits in the SH4.exe header to make Windows aware of SH4's ability to address a flat memory space. Open LAA a 2nd time after you activate the SH4.exe, and make certain the tickbox for LAA is indeed set. If it is not, then you might have to set the file's attributes (the "General" tab of the "Properties" dialog) to clear the "Read-only" tickbox to make it write-enabled. Otherwise, FotRSU will not function properly, and no matter what you put on top of it afterwards, it will still not function properly.

If you want verbosity reigning supreme, consult the "Install Notes For the Various Versions of SH4 in Windows.pdf" file in the FotRSU "Support" folder. For a shorter version without the install details, read "ActivatingFOTRSU.pdf". Most of that does still apply, and can be used with most mods.

[Arlo]

Thanks for that detailed walk-through. Gonna bookmark it for reference.

[Arlo]

What is the "Black 80.TGA" file. I've uninstalled and reinstalled three times. Funny thing is, though. The vanilla game works but none of my mega-mods do.

The error code insists that the "Black 80.TGA" file is missing. When you close that message window another one opens saying the exact same thing about the same file over and over without end. I literally have to use task manager to break out. I've even deleted the mods from the mod folder and reinstalled the zip files from my archive.

This magically disappearing file is driving me bonkers (more so than I already am).

(Checks date ... no it's not Friday the 13th.)

[propbeanie]

The "Black 80.tga" is a Silent Hunter version 1.5 file, which means that you most likely only have version 1.3 or v1.4 of the game. This is probably the main reason your mods are not activating correctly. Do you have a Steam install, by chance?

[Arlo]

I bought it off Steam, including the 1.5 upgrade.


[edit] But ... (slaps head) ... I haven't been downloading it on top of my game.

Hope to be back with good news.

[propbeanie]

I cannot remember the Steam SH4 set-up, but be sure you are using the U-Boat Missions Add-on when you start the game...

[Mad Mardigan]

Ahoy, Arlo...

Yeah,
Steam has 2 different versions of SH4... 1 without Uboat Missions tag attached to Silent Hunter IV Wolves of the Pacific... the other (which is the v1.5 one) is tagged as Silent Hunter IV Wolves of the Pacific: Uboat Missions.

The latter version, is the 1 you want to download... & install.

M. M.

[Arlo]

Originally Posted by propbeanie

I cannot remember the Steam SH4 set-up, but be sure you are using the U-Boat Missions Add-on when you start the game...

That was a critical step that I was skipping.

My next question involves the battle flags mod:


I'll be adding the interior mod.

Then it appears that I can add one of the submarine class folders (Tambor my preferred).

Does the battle flag ships sunk count go next?

[Mad Mardigan]

Originally Posted by propbeanie

I cannot remember the Steam SH4 set-up, but be sure you are using the U-Boat Missions Add-on when you start the game...

Yeah, Steam.. in it's infinite stupidity, leads customers who go to d/l SH4... to think they are grabbing v1.5 & unless they are observant & really look hard at the main page (before they d/l) they won't notice that difference..

Even I missed that.. thinking it was 1 copy only & the right one... ooops...

[Mad Mardigan]

Originally Posted by Arlo

That was a critical step that I was skipping.

My next question involves the battle flags mod:


I'll be adding the interior mod.

Then it appears that I can add one of the submarine class folders (Tambor my preferred).

Does the battle flag ships sunk count go next?

You'd best be to hold off on adding that 1 in... until you get some 'kill's in 1st... then after you dock after getting those 1st kills... then add in the appropriate mod set.

As I understand it.

M. M.



Post edit :
By appropriate set, meaning sub class, sub name... & set in that section that meets with kills you racked up...