Ever feel a bit cheated by SH3?

Vacillator · 05-09-07, 03:56 AM

After an hour and a half infiltrating a convoy with at least 5 escorts, I hit two whale factory ships with 2 torps each and a large merch with my bow tube. I then went to 100 metres depth, silent running at 1kt. One of the escorts pinged me and dropped three lots of depth charges but they were quite far away perhaps due to a couple of course changes. The two whalers then sank (for a nice 25000+ tons).

Then the cheated feeling! The escort dropped a fourth set of charges and they exploded some distance away, but just then my screen locked and my sound looped. I could get out of SH3 using the Windows key so I brought up the Task Manager. This showed SH3 at 0.9Gig memory use and that it was not responding. It also said I was at 100% CPU use with a page file of 1.28Gig (I have 2 Gig of RAM).

Going back to SH3 by clicking it in the task bar only got me to the locked screen again. Eventually I had to turn off the power, losing my hard-earned tonnage.

Can anyone comment on whether this is likely to be a hardware problem or software? I posted some time ago with similar problems and eventually ruled out GWX as a possible offender, but I'm still getting these locks fairly frequently. Mostly they happen if I've paused and left SH3 for more than just a few minutes. When I come back I'm locked!

Canovaro · 05-09-07, 05:16 AM

Could it be that it has anything to do with screen savers or power/energy management/hardware going asleep?

Reece · 05-09-07, 05:21 AM

I get that every now & then, or a complete reboot! kinda cheeses ya off when you've been on for a couple of hours without saving, but that's life!

Often this is caused by some other small program (TSR) running in the background looking for a respose .... you just get a black screen & locks! I probably get it once every half dozen patrols!

Vacillator · 05-09-07, 05:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canovaro

Could it be that it has anything to do with screen savers or power/energy management/hardware going asleep?

I thought of that for the 'pause and go away scenario' and checked my settings. I have everything like that set to 'Never'.

As for active game scenario when I'm being depth charged, it shouldn't be going to sleep.

Reece, I do have a lot of minor programs running in the background so perhaps I should disconnect from the Internet and disable as much as I can to see if that fixes the issue...

Thanks guys. Another other suggestions?

rb4door · 05-09-07, 06:04 AM

I normally go about 8 or 9 patrols where the game runs fine (GWX), then I will get a patrol (particular when I get thrown out of high TC due to being attacked or spotting a ship) and the music starts its dreaded loop - next thing i'm looking at my desktop without a trace of SH3 being played for the last 5 hours!

I normally crack the sh*ts after the game does that to me and I wont play it for a couple days. Always end making up and moving on however

nikbear · 05-09-07, 06:54 AM

Got exactly the same thing in my black sea mission yesterday,sank 2 merchants,1 medium tanker,1 DD escort urugan class,all with magnetics,I was on a roll

feeling pretty pleased with myself and as I lined up to shoot the last escort down the throat with my T3 magnetic I thought "what can go wrong".The eel went off straight and true,the escort was still on his suicide drive towards me and just as the eel passed under him and went off,the crew cheered,the event cam popped up,"YES" I shouted,then the black screen of death appeared

the microsoft window telling me it had to close SHIII

and this was the error message

error signature appname:sh3.exe appver1.4.0.1 mod name:sh3sim.act mod ver 0.0.0.0 offset0001c289 I havent a clue what it means just that I was gutted

maillemaker · 05-09-07, 07:19 AM

Yeah I get this all the time, too, glad I saw this thread.

Usually I get the black screen/crashout when I either have just fired a torpedo, or just as it hits the target.

Steve

Reece · 05-09-07, 08:22 AM

@maillemaker, now that sounds like an in-game problem, probably a mod not installed correctly or a combination of 2 super mods, please give details.

Vacillator · 05-09-07, 08:34 AM

Well at least I'm not the only one! :hmm:

Most likely (for my particular active rather than paused game problem) still seems to be something in the background trying to do something.

Having said that, are the Task Manager conditions and values I quoted in the first post consistent with that? I don't know.

johnm · 05-09-07, 09:53 AM

I regularly get a 'freeze-up' complete with sound looping. After about 10-15 secs it frees up and the game continues normally.

As my machine is fairly border-line in spec, I'd always thought it was SHIII - garbage collection. You know, where the program releases used memory etc. The early 'Basic' used to be terrible for this.

maybe I should start panicking? :hmm:

Canovaro · 05-09-07, 10:06 AM

To some of you: if your computer falls out completely that's usually when your cpu or other hardware gets to warm.

Vacillator · 05-09-07, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnm

I regularly get a 'freeze-up' complete with sound looping. After about 10-15 secs it frees up and the game continues normally.

As my machine is fairly border-line in spec, I'd always thought it was SHIII - garbage collection. You know, where the program releases used memory etc. The early 'Basic' used to be terrible for this.

maybe I should start panicking? :hmm:

John, I get this as well and like you I think it's 'normal' SH3 activity. Particular circumstances can be under high TC when the prog has to track lots of objects very quickly or near a convoy.

Vacillator · 05-09-07, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canovaro

To some of you: if your computer falls out completely that's usually when your cpu or other hardware gets to warm.

Good point Canovaro

. This fits with my reasoning that as I was 'only' freezing not totally rebooting, it was likely to be software, conflicts with other programs etc. rather than overheating.

Jimbuna · 05-09-07, 12:27 PM

Free up as much resources as you can by switching off all background utilities (including ant virus) if your not surfing whilst sailing

KeybdFlyer · 05-09-07, 01:51 PM

"with a page file of 1.28Gig (I have 2 Gig of RAM)" If I'm reading that right, your Page File size is set a little too small. I'm not saying that's your problem, because it probably isn't, but the Page File should be set to 1.5x the amount of onboard memory, or about 3070Mb for your 2Gb RAM. Might be worthwhile setting it "just because", to ease the load a little.

05-09-07, 03:56 AM	#1
Vacillator Frogman Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: UK Posts: 307 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Ever feel a bit cheated by SH3? After an hour and a half infiltrating a convoy with at least 5 escorts, I hit two whale factory ships with 2 torps each and a large merch with my bow tube. I then went to 100 metres depth, silent running at 1kt. One of the escorts pinged me and dropped three lots of depth charges but they were quite far away perhaps due to a couple of course changes. The two whalers then sank (for a nice 25000+ tons). Then the cheated feeling! The escort dropped a fourth set of charges and they exploded some distance away, but just then my screen locked and my sound looped. I could get out of SH3 using the Windows key so I brought up the Task Manager. This showed SH3 at 0.9Gig memory use and that it was not responding. It also said I was at 100% CPU use with a page file of 1.28Gig (I have 2 Gig of RAM). Going back to SH3 by clicking it in the task bar only got me to the locked screen again. Eventually I had to turn off the power, losing my hard-earned tonnage. Can anyone comment on whether this is likely to be a hardware problem or software? I posted some time ago with similar problems and eventually ruled out GWX as a possible offender, but I'm still getting these locks fairly frequently. Mostly they happen if I've paused and left SH3 for more than just a few minutes. When I come back I'm locked!

05-09-07, 05:21 AM	#3
Reece CINC Pacific Fleet Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Down Under Posts: 34,704 Downloads: 171 Uploads: 0	I get that every now & then, or a complete reboot! kinda cheeses ya off when you've been on for a couple of hours without saving, but that's life! Often this is caused by some other small program (TSR) running in the background looking for a respose .... you just get a black screen & locks! I probably get it once every half dozen patrols! __________________ *Sub captains go down with their ship!*

05-09-07, 08:22 AM	#8
Reece CINC Pacific Fleet Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Down Under Posts: 34,704 Downloads: 171 Uploads: 0	@maillemaker, now that sounds like an in-game problem, probably a mod not installed correctly or a combination of 2 super mods, please give details. __________________ *Sub captains go down with their ship!*

05-09-07, 12:27 PM	#14
Jimbuna Chief of the Boat Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: 250 metres below the surface Posts: 190,525 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 13	Free up as much resources as you can by switching off all background utilities (including ant virus) if your not surfing whilst sailing __________________ Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something. Oh my God, not again!!

05-09-07, 05:16 AM	#2
Canovaro Ace of the Deep Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Netherlands Posts: 1,062 Downloads: 34 Uploads: 0	Could it be that it has anything to do with screen savers or power/energy management/hardware going asleep?

05-09-07, 06:04 AM	#5
rb4door Machinist's Mate Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: St Naz Posts: 129 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	I normally go about 8 or 9 patrols where the game runs fine (GWX), then I will get a patrol (particular when I get thrown out of high TC due to being attacked or spotting a ship) and the music starts its dreaded loop - next thing i'm looking at my desktop without a trace of SH3 being played for the last 5 hours! I normally crack the sh*ts after the game does that to me and I wont play it for a couple days. Always end making up and moving on however

05-09-07, 06:54 AM	#6
nikbear Sea Lord Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Northampton,UK Posts: 1,859 Downloads: 86 Uploads: 0	Got exactly the same thing in my black sea mission yesterday,sank 2 merchants,1 medium tanker,1 DD escort urugan class,all with magnetics,I was on a roll feeling pretty pleased with myself and as I lined up to shoot the last escort down the throat with my T3 magnetic I thought "what can go wrong".The eel went off straight and true,the escort was still on his suicide drive towards me and just as the eel passed under him and went off,the crew cheered,the event cam popped up,"YES" I shouted,then the black screen of death appeared the microsoft window telling me it had to close SHIII and this was the error message error signature appname:sh3.exe appver1.4.0.1 mod name:sh3sim.act mod ver 0.0.0.0 offset0001c289 I havent a clue what it means just that I was gutted

05-09-07, 07:19 AM	#7
maillemaker Sea Lord Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 1,639 Downloads: 75 Uploads: 0	Yeah I get this all the time, too, glad I saw this thread. Usually I get the black screen/crashout when I either have just fired a torpedo, or just as it hits the target. Steve

05-09-07, 08:34 AM	#9
Vacillator Frogman Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: UK Posts: 307 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Well at least I'm not the only one! :hmm: Most likely (for my particular active rather than paused game problem) still seems to be something in the background trying to do something. Having said that, are the Task Manager conditions and values I quoted in the first post consistent with that? I don't know.

05-09-07, 09:53 AM	#10
johnm Navy Dude Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: North of England Posts: 173 Downloads: 68 Uploads: 0	I regularly get a 'freeze-up' complete with sound looping. After about 10-15 secs it frees up and the game continues normally. As my machine is fairly border-line in spec, I'd always thought it was SHIII - garbage collection. You know, where the program releases used memory etc. The early 'Basic' used to be terrible for this. maybe I should start panicking? :hmm:

05-09-07, 10:06 AM	#11
Canovaro Ace of the Deep Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Netherlands Posts: 1,062 Downloads: 34 Uploads: 0	To some of you: if your computer falls out completely that's usually when your cpu or other hardware gets to warm.

05-09-07, 01:51 PM	#15
KeybdFlyer 中国水兵 Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 272 Downloads: 162 Uploads: 0	"with a page file of 1.28Gig (I have 2 Gig of RAM)" If I'm reading that right, your Page File size is set a little too small. I'm not saying that's your problem, because it probably isn't, but the Page File should be set to 1.5x the amount of onboard memory, or about 3070Mb for your 2Gb RAM. Might be worthwhile setting it "just because", to ease the load a little.