Deck Gun Stuck

[mazzi]

Originally Posted by goldmastersims

This particular part of the game code being unable to function properly while installed on external storage is the most likely cause.

Is the correct folder and drive for the game registered in the Windows registry?
Approximate location in the registry:
"hklm\software\WOW6432Node\Ubisoft\Silent Hunter Wolves of the Pacific\GameUpdate"
"hklm\software\WOW6432Node\Ubisoft\Silent Hunter 4 Wolves of the Pacific\GameUpdate"

Have you tried using symlink for your external hdd?
Console command as administrator: mklink /D с:\games\sh4 X:\sh4
X: this is your external HDD with the NTFS file system.

[propbeanie]

Originally Posted by goldmastersims

I know I am necroposting, but I likely have figured out why this is happening.

I highly doubt that drive speed matters. I am using an external NVMe drive with about 1000MB/s read/write speeds. The deck gun is still stuck.

The deck gun code probably doesn't work as intended if the game is installed on external drives for some reason. I only copied and pasted my install to an internal SSD. With only FotRSU installed on both external and internal drives, I got the deck gun to work.

So to everybody who is experiencing this problem, only install SH4 with FotRSU on an internal storage device. It is not recommended to use any external storage device whatsoever. This particular part of the game code being unable to function properly while installed on external storage is the most likely cause.

Originally Posted by mazzi

Is the correct folder and drive for the game registered in the Windows registry?
Approximate location in the registry:
"hklm\software\WOW6432Node\Ubisoft\Silent Hunter Wolves of the Pacific\GameUpdate"
"hklm\software\WOW6432Node\Ubisoft\Silent Hunter 4 Wolves of the Pacific\GameUpdate"

Have you tried using symlink for your external hdd?
Console command as administrator: mklink /D с:\games\sh4 X:\sh4
X: this is your external HDD with the NTFS file system.

Besides mazzi's excellent points above, the hard drive issue would be more of one concerning bandwidth, and not so much HD speed. Even a 5400rpm IDE drive supplies enough bandwidth on the ATA interface for the SH4 game. An external drive, with the necessary "interpretation" of the interface, is generally apparently "slower", no matter the interface, but especially USB2 or earlier.

@mazzi: Have you ever tried to use the Windows Path setting for similar reasons? We had put a batch file in an earlier FotRSU to set the player's path, but dropped it due to "user prompting" complications, and fears of trashing someone's computer settings. However, I have noticed "better" performance with the game's FotRSU folder on the path, though I do not know how to "test / compare" the difference between a registry setting from either an install, or use of SH Validator to re-set it, and having the registry point to an original install folder, while the path points to a modded copy of the game...

[mazzi]

Originally Posted by propbeanie

Have you ever tried to use the Windows Path setting for similar reasons?

I have the opinion that certain sections of the game code do not work correctly, when the wrong game folder is registered in the Windows registry. That's why I always use this script:

@echo off

for /F "Tokens=2*" %%I in ('Reg Query "hklm\software\WOW6432Node\Ubisoft\Silent Hunter 4 Wolves of the Pacific\GameUpdate" /v installdir') do set dir_reestr=%%J
rem echo.
rem echo The game folder spelled out in the registry:
rem echo %dir_reestr%
rem echo. 
rem pause
set p=%~dp0%
set "curent_dir=%p:~0,-1%\"
rem echo.
rem echo Current folder of the launched game:
rem echo %curent_dir%
rem echo.
rem pause
rem echo.
rem echo Folder paths are compared with each other:
rem echo.
if /i "%curent_dir%"=="%dir_reestr%" (GOTO YES ) else (GOTO NO)

:YES
rem echo The paths coincide! :)
rem echo.
rem pause
rem echo.
rem echo The game starts...
start "" "%curent_dir%\sh4.exe"
goto :EOF

:NO
rem echo The paths are different! :(
rem echo.
rem pause
rem echo.
rem echo The proper current folder of the launched game is recorded in the register:
rem echo %curent_dir%
rem echo.
REM for sh4 v1.00.0000
reg add "hklm\software\WOW6432Node\Ubisoft\Silent Hunter Wolves of the Pacific\GameUpdate" /v execPath /t reg_sz /f /d "%~dp0%sh4.exe
reg add "hklm\software\WOW6432Node\Ubisoft\Silent Hunter Wolves of the Pacific\GameUpdate" /v installdir /t reg_sz /f /d "%~dp0%
REM for sh4 v1.05.0000
reg add "hklm\software\WOW6432Node\Ubisoft\Silent Hunter 4 Wolves of the Pacific\GameUpdate" /v execPath /t reg_sz /f /d "%~dp0%sh4.exe
reg add "hklm\software\WOW6432Node\Ubisoft\Silent Hunter 4 Wolves of the Pacific\GameUpdate" /v installdir /t reg_sz /f /d "%~dp0%
rem pause
rem echo.
rem echo The game starts...
start "" "%curent_dir%\sh4.exe"
GOTO :EOF

It must be placed in ALL game folders, next to the sh4.exe file. Then launch all games using this script. This script.bat or script.cmd must be run as administrator.

This .bat script can be converted into an .exe file using the program "Bat To Exe Converter". In the 'Bat To Exe Converter' itself, when converting .bat to .exe, you can set administrator rights.

If you remove all the small 'rem' in the script, leaving the large 'REM' intact, you can see what the script does step by step.

[propbeanie]

Nicely done mazzi. If you don't mind, we'll attempt to include that in the next FotRSU release, editing it slightly to show your name in the REM lines.

[mazzi]

Script.bat or Script.cmd will not be convenient for ordinary people to use.
It would be better if Script.bat was still converted into some kind of file.EXE and then this file.EXE would be posted for everyone.
But do as you see fit, I don’t mind.