[REL] Stop the rain! A definitive solution for bad weather!

[Stiebler]

Hallo again Rubini, it's great to see you making mods again! I have also sent you PM.

For the benefit of other users:

I'm very concerned to hear that you are still getting protracted long 'rainy-storms' in GWX, despite installing the mod.

Let me say right away that this event should not happen. In lengthy trials, with the Real Weather Fix, most 'rainy-storms' (defined as thick fog, heavy precipitations, wind 15 m/s) should last for no more than two days. Because of the random nature of the creation of these storms, one can never be definite, let us just say that there is a better than 90% probability that rainy-storms will not exceed two full days (48 hours), and about a 95% probability that rainy-storms will not exceed 72 hours. I'm speaking from memory, this is not a formal statistical analysis. Also, I'm assuming that users have not modified the campaign files away from the default SH3 weather parameters re-installed by Real Weather Fix.

However...
We cannot deny that just occasionally, despite these long odds, we have seen occasional protracted rainy-storms that seem never to end.

I believe that these never-ending rainy-storms are due to corruption of computer RAM while the game is playing. There can be many causes of this, but a very common cause (for me) is to be in a sea area where two convoys spawn in quick succession.

This corruption of RAM can have many effects. One effect, certainly, appears to be to generate everlasting rainy storms. Another side effect can be a simple crash-to-desktop (CTD), whose effect is obvious. Another subtle effect is to damage the save/reload mechanism (probably the data that are saved and reloaded, not the code itself). Thus, when you save the game, then reload it, you get a CTD. And sometimes, even if you don't save the game, you travel safely all the way back to base - and then the game CTD's as it tries to make an auto-save as you approach harbour.

What I have found to be an effective method to un-jam never-ending bad weather is to save and reload the game. Nothing more. For a further 3 days or so, you get the weather you saved. Then everything reverts to the normal weather behaviour that we expect from the Real Weather Fix mod.

But - and this a big, big BUT! - sometimes when you try to reload your saved game as above, you get the CTD instead. So this is a very risky solution.

Rubini is a very talented modder. He has helped me on several occasions. I have no doubt that his weather solution works exactly as described. But I consider the practice of saving and reloading the game to apply the mod to be very risky. There is a high chance you will get a CTD instead! Remember - you should not be getting continuous storms with the Real Weather Fix correctly installed, unless something has been corrupted in your game. And who knows where that corruption may show itself next?

You have made a great mod, Rubini, old friend, and a very clever mod, but it is too dangerous for me. However, clearly it will be very useful for those who are tired of continuous bad weather and are prepared to risk the chance of a CTD in order to end the storms. Also, the way the weather algorithm in SH3 is set up means that those who deploy the mod without getting a CTD will benefit for many days to come (on average) from good weather. I personally would prefer to take the lesser risk of returning at once to base, especially if I had already a good shipping score and the base is near.

Stiebler.

@SubtypeZero:

Stiebler and I did not find any specific fog settings in scene.dat

I think you've forgotten that fog, but not clouds, can be adjusted in scene.dat. Excellent idea about the dice throwing before using Rubini's mod, though.

[irish1958]

Stiebler
Would the use of a "memory cleaner/defreagmenter" by alt-tab be of use to restore memory, instead of saving and reloading?

[Rubini]

Hi Stiebler,

Thanks for your reply/post.

Yes, I tried RWF correctly installed in two long patrols and unfortunately had that "endless storms" on both. I can say that before RWF in a very long patrol (my preferred type of patrols, I like milkcow , etc) I really could find continuous storms a lot more frequently. So RWF really works , reducing the probability/frequency of endless storms. This is a fact.

I guess that the motive for which I have "frequently" these endless storms is just because I save/reload the game often to adjust it to my RL possibilities, reseting the weather again and again. But this is the unique way to me to play SH3.

I should like to say that i can't agree with the CTD argument just because (IIRC) i never heard anybody complaim about it before at those specific conditions and I also NEVER had a CTD in my "normal" game (save/reload, etc), even in storms, in the last 3 years. So, perhaps the CTDs that you experienced with long storms could happens only in some systems.??:hmm:

Then, from my experience with the game, the Stop the rain! mod have no problems to be used if you really need it. It's aimed just as an emergency mod, nothing more. With dice or not, it's up to the player.

Another use of it is just for ppl that yet want to play the game with another weather mod or even with it's personal weather adjust with a more dinamic weather because RWF can push the weather sometimes so much for a stable good weather side (as far i can noticed until now).

The big flaw on Stop the rain! is in truth that I can't make a special scene.dat for each mod out there or even for the (for sure) big number of ppl that have small self adjusts to his own scene.dat. But as I said it may be used only for short time and only eventually...so, for the majority of ppl this could be also not a problem at all.

@SubTypeZero: i will PM you with the settings soon (some RL issues since yesterday...)

[ReallyDedPoet]

Great idea Rubini, nicely done


RDP

[Subtype Zero]

Stiebler,

Did you receive my email earlier today?

Cheers!

[Stiebler]

After an exchange of PMs with Rubini, he and I have agreed that the CTDs sometimes seen after the player has made a save and reload may be due to differing computer specifications, and may be nothing to do with weather problems. The nature of my work is that I produce computer programs for clients where, almost by definition, the average client must own an average computer. So I program *and test* on as average a computer as I can manage. (Other software companies, please note.) My computer does, however, somewhat exceed the stock SH3 recommended specification.

If our joint view is correct, then clearly the 'Stop The Rain!' mod will work perfectly for many users, but a lot less well for those with average computers where there will be the real possibility of a CTD.

So we suggest that all users of SH3 should try out 'Stop the Rain', to see how they get on with it. I have also taken up Rubini on his kind offer to make a variant of the mod specific to NYGM - with the proviso that there will have to be a warning to players about its use.

@SubtypeZero:
Yes, I got your e-mail, and replied within ten minutes of seeing it, with auto-reply to the sender's e-mail address. If you still haven't had it, please send a PM.

Stiebler.

[Rubini]

Originally Posted by Stiebler

After an exchange of PMs with Rubini, he and I have agreed that the CTDs sometimes seen after the player has made a save and reload may be due to differing computer specifications, and may be nothing to do with weather problems. The nature of my work is that I produce computer programs for clients where, almost by definition, the average client must own an average computer. So I program *and test* on as average a computer as I can manage. (Other software companies, please note.) My computer does, however, somewhat exceed the stock SH3 recommended specification.

If our joint view is correct, then clearly the 'Stop The Rain!' mod will work perfectly for many users, but a lot less well for those with average computers where there will be the real possibility of a CTD.

So we suggest that all users of SH3 should try out 'Stop the Rain', to see how they get on with it. I have also taken up Rubini on his kind offer to make a variant of the mod specific to NYGM - with the proviso that there will have to be a warning to players about its use.

@SubtypeZero:
Yes, I got your e-mail, and replied within ten minutes of seeing it, with auto-reply to the sender's e-mail address. If you still haven't had it, please send a PM.

Stiebler.

You and SubType zero have a PM!

[CapZap1970]

Rubini:
Thanks a lot for your mod!!!
I was having 18+ days of this wheather in a row until I got sick of it...


I enabled your mod and it turned into this, after reloading, some minutes after that the rain just stopped!!!

Thanks a lot my friend!!!
CapZap

[Rubini]

Hi CapZap1970,
thanks to try it and post a feedback!

Some comments:
See the pics bellow. What I expected with the mod was a totally rain free effect at first. Also a change from Heavy fog to Medium fog. Is this what you have?:hmm:

I also noticed that you have (on your first pic) an old sea foam effect that I developed for GWX 2.0 but wasn´t used in the end. I in truth have in my game a much better sea foam effect. I will try some pics later. In the pics bellow the wind was at 8m/s so no sea foam on them.

Before mod:


After mod:

[Rubini]

Here my old mod never released with new foams. The first two was made using the ROW SH4 textures (with permission by our great friend Leovampire). The last two are inside GWX2.0 but some tweaks are needed to you see them.

[CapZap1970]

Rubini:
After enabling your mod, the rain didn't dissapear imediatelly, but took some minutes, but eventually it ceased... Just in case, what i did was to enable your mod and stay with it enabled until i finished my patrol. I don't know if that's what i was supposed to do, so any comments or further tips will be very welcome!! I don't know if i did it correctly, but now that you say that there should be no rain at all, maybe i screwed it up somehow and didn't get the full effect.
About your foam, is there a way i can get it somehow? it looks very nice indeed and would like to have it too (if possible)
Thanks again my my friend.
CapZap

[Rubini]

Originally Posted by CapZap1970

Rubini:
After enabling your mod, the rain didn't dissapear imediatelly, but took some minutes, but eventually it ceased... Just in case, what i did was to enable your mod and stay with it enabled until i finished my patrol. I don't know if that's what i was supposed to do, so any comments or further tips will be very welcome!! I don't know if i did it correctly, but now that you say that there should be no rain at all, maybe i screwed it up somehow and didn't get the full effect.
About your foam, is there a way i can get it somehow? it looks very nice indeed and would like to have it too (if possible)
Thanks again my my friend.
CapZap

Hi CapZap,

I just tested the mod again with any wind or rain state: the mod really stop the rain since the first second that you reload yout patrol. Please do a check on your mod structure and check about that special scene.dat that i sent to you (if needed send it again).

Also check if yours waves are a bit less intense (less high) and if you really get Medium Fog. Let me know all these.

[CapZap1970]

Originally Posted by Rubini

Hi CapZap,

I just tested the mod again with any wind or rain state: the mod really stop the rain since the first second that you reload yout patrol. Please do a check on your mod structure and check about that special scene.dat that i sent to you (if needed send it again).

Also check if yours waves are a bit less intense (less high) and if you really get Medium Fog. Let me know all these.

Rubini:
I just disabled and re-enabled your scene.dat file, I mean the one i sent and you modified for me. I don't know why 2 nights ago it didn't work, but this time it is working the way it should!!!!
no rain, medium fog and very acceptable waves. Thanks a lot again. I will post some screenies tonight to show you how it looked like before and after.
CapZap

[Rubini]

Good to know that it works as intend! Thanks for the feedback mate.
I will take a go again in my old seafoam mod and then will contact you again.

[CapZap1970]

Rubini:
These were the results i was looking for:

without "Stop The Rain" mod:


With the mod:


This time it worked fine!!
I will use this mod from now on when chased by bad wheather... It's unbearable to have weeks and weeks of the same...
I got so excited that I was forgetting to take the screenies, that's why the one with bad wheather is at night (near dawn) and the other one 3 or 4 hours later...
Thanks a lot my friend.
CapZap