SH3 + GWX under steam proton crashing after first patrol loading bar fills up

[promitheas]

[SOLUTION AT END OF POST]

Hello guys!

A few days ago I wanted to get back into SH3, so I installed it through steam and got LSH3 set up with Ahnenerbe WideGui 1920 x 1080 Final mod, and it worked pretty good!

However I quickly realised that I want a little more control over what mods I am running, and so decided today to clean install the game and install GWX. I got everything setup (including the 4gb patch which I had to run through wine). After running the patch through wine I got the message that the exe file was patched successfully, however when I run the game using SteamTinkerLaunch as the compatibility layer (it in fact uses proton 9.0), it crashes to desktop. Specifically it crashes a little after the loading bar for my first career's first patrol fills up.

Here is a list of the mods I have enabled as a screenshot:
https://imgur.com/a/jIvcjGy

And here is a screenshot of where it crashes:
https://imgur.com/a/JzZmen9

My system specs are:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6700
RAM: 128 GB
OS: Arch Linux kernel 6.10.7-arch1-1

If anyone has any insight on what the issue might be, or where I can look for more information (logs etc) please let me know! I will happily provide any extra info anyone asks for.

Many thanks in advance!

P.s. Sorry about the imgur links if thats considered bad practice, I couldnt figure out how to embed them in the post directly.

Edit 1: Training missions work - load quickly
Single missions work - load fairly slowly (~2 mins from when the loading bar fills up to when I get in the mission)
Its just careers that dont. I tried this with 1st and 2nd flotillas

Edit 2 (SOLUTION):
So what ended up working for me was simply making the game run using proton 6.3-8. I did try version 4.3 as well, but that didnt seem to be working that well with the widegui mod I have.

Edit 3: Editing to add 2 more things to the solution. Because of frequent crashes while in the career patrol, I ended up lowering the Particle Density to 90 and also do not create any saves while out on patrol. Not sure which of the two actually stopped the crashing, but so far I've played for about 20 hours with no crash.

[FUBAR295]

Have you activated the 4G patch?

[promitheas]

Originally Posted by FUBAR295

Have you activated the 4G patch?

I ran the patch executable and selected the sh3.exe file placed there by steam. I got the message that it was patched. I hope thats what you mean by activate, I didn't do anything further than that with regards to the sh3.exe file.

Edit 1: I reran the patcher again to make sure and there is a difference between the resultant sh3.exe and sh3.exe.Backup files. I verified this with the diff utility. However it still crashes. If I install SH3 and GWX on a windows PC, patch it and then simply copy the patched sh3.exe file from the windows pc to my Linux pc would it theoretically be OK?

Edit 2: After asking around on linux gaming specific forums it seems that the 4GB patch is unnecessary for linux as steam proton forces games to have the same behaviour anyway. However it still crashes, so it might not be an issue with memory, but something else.

[blackswan40]

Hi promitheas SH3 Steam version as always had issues when Moded so ive sent you a PM with SH3 Download link none steam version (dvd install then zipped up) 190 downloads in three years from my Mediafire Site and 7 zip download link

Make a Games Folder on drive C:/ but outside Program Files x86 so windows security doesn't mess with your SH3 campaign save Folder in your documents then Mod SH3 as you like and all should be good Sir delete where applicable dont have Linux.

At the pride runs deep we look after our own
Happy Hunting in the Atlantic.

[promitheas]

Originally Posted by blackswan40

Hi promitheas SH3 Steam version as always had issues when Moded so ive sent you a PM with SH3 Download link none steam version (dvd install then zipped up) 190 downloads in three years from my Mediafire Site and 7 zip download link

Make a Games Folder on drive C:/ but outside Program Files x86 so windows security doesn't mess with your SH3 campaign save Folder in your documents then Mod SH3 as you like and all should be good Sir delete where applicable dont have Linux.

At the pride runs deep we look after our own
Happy Hunting in the Atlantic.

I'm not on a windows pc and either way, since I already own the steam version I prefer to use that. Thanks though

[blackswan40]

Hi Again promitheas have you tried deactivating all your Mods from Jsgme
then see if Steam SH3 stock install and GWX Campaign works if so add mods one by one and test to see what Mod caused the crash you may have to compromise on what Mods you can have and Mods you cant have.

If Steam and stock GWX still crashes then maybe the only solution is the one i suggested ive lost count the number of posts like yours issues with SH3 Steam version with GWX + Mods thats the reason i uploaded my SH3 dvd install to Mediafire to help SH3 players get squared away.

I wish you all the best of luck Sir Kind Regards blackswan40.

[promitheas]

Originally Posted by blackswan40

Hi Again promitheas have you tried deactivating all your Mods from Jsgme
then see if Steam SH3 stock install and GWX Campaign works if so add mods one by one and test to see what Mod caused the crash you may have to compromise on what Mods you can have and Mods you cant have.

If Steam and stock GWX still crashes then maybe the only solution is the one i suggested ive lost count the number of posts like yours issues with SH3 Steam version with GWX + Mods thats the reason i uploaded my SH3 dvd install to Mediafire to help SH3 players get squared away.

I wish you all the best of luck Sir Kind Regards blackswan40.

Hey, I managed to get it working by selecting an older proton version from my steam compatibility options. I'll be updating my original post with the solution now to hopefully help anyone else that comes across this, but either way thanks for taking the time to write suggestions

[blackswan40]

Hi promitheus thats great news indeed Sir glad your sorted

[Hooston]

I've been running SH3 on Linux using Wine for about 6 years now. My i3 laptop is about 11 years old so I've been using GWX gold and NYGM_2017A as anything with fancy graphics runs as a slideshow. At present I've got NYGM running fine under Wine 9.15 on Fedora 40.

There's been some big changes recently in the way 64 bit Wine supports 32 bit applications and there may be some teething troubles working their way through Proton. I had similar troubles last year with the reorganisation of sound and video support into the "pipewire" package. This sort of thing tends to go away at the next update (typically a couple of weeks). Pipewire was an exception in that corrupted audio came and went about twice!
I'm afraid it sort of goes with the territory if you accept all the updates on a "bleeding edge" distro like Fedora.

I have recently got a brand new Windows 11 desktop and have struggled working round the spyware, advertising, "free trials" and deliberately disabled "premium" features. All this with the knowledge that they will walk away from my £2000 system in a few years time. It seems to me the Windows project was finished at XP and many people are now being paid by Microsoft to make their product worse. Fortunately I get the feeling that they are deliberately not trying very hard.

I know which world I prefer.


PS I did find I needed the 4Gb patch (or equivalent HSie hard coded fies) under Wine. They must have included some rubbish features of the Windows interface as well. Crashing in career mode but working OK otherwise is a symptom of memory addressing problems. Make sure you have EITHER 4Gb patch OR HSie (not both).

[promitheas]

Originally Posted by Hooston

I'm afraid it sort of goes with the territory if you accept all the updates on a "bleeding edge" distro like Fedora.

Oh yea, believe me I know. I run Arch so its as rolling release as you can get.

Originally Posted by Hooston

I know which world I prefer.

I can't imagine ever going back to using windows. I have to use it at work and its very enlightening. Because I use windows in the first half of the day, and Linux in the latter half when I get home, I can really tell the difference and how windows just feels like its fighting you.

Originally Posted by Hooston

PS I did find I needed the 4Gb patch (or equivalent HSie hard coded fies) under Wine. They must have included some rubbish features of the Windows interface as well. Crashing in career mode but working OK otherwise is a symptom of memory addressing problems. Make sure you have EITHER 4Gb patch OR HSie (not both).

Ok about this ^... I have both the 4GB patch and HSie patch (not sure about the hard coded files), but after encountering some issues with empty radio messages and empty crew messages (WO: blank and CE: blank) and reading about them in this thread I get the feeling that something went wrong with the installation of HSie patch. It runs pretty stable but yes, I have encountered a few CTD's. Most have been right as the game world loads and I'm still at dock (A little after the Not so long ago... message).

Could you please clarify what you mean about not needing both 4GB patch and H.Sie patch?

Edit: I'm also getting some other issues like the binoculars (not UZO) being square and smaller and generally looking incorrect, but a) I can live with that and simply use the UZO and b) I don't think its related to any of the patches, maybe Tycho's but most probably its to do with ARB WideGui

[Hooston]

oops! I cannot compose messages on this forum before it logs me out. Must type faster.

[Hooston]

The HSie patch includes the 4Gb patch. It's a much better option and all its extra features can be turned on and off with the utility enclosed with it. There's some messing about to do manually editing the menu files as well and you have to be careful that these changes do not get overwritten by a later mod such as a widescreen mod - or you will get missing messages and the like. So add the text to the menu files last. There's an additional Steibler mod that can go on top of HSie and does things like pack attacks.

Vanilla SH3 runs fine without a 4GB patch. If you have memory management problems the point at which you get a CTD depends on how much data you have added in all your mods. With base GWX + widescreen it just happens to run fine at first then crash mid campaign.
My advice would be to run OneAlex for modded GWX as he has done all the hard work for you and tested it all out. For NYGM seek out Fifi's NYGM enhanced hardcore or Toyota GT on the mods forum. OneAlex has a slight war problem at the moiment and is not very accessible but Fifi is very helpful.

[promitheas]

Originally Posted by Hooston

So add the text to the menu files last

Could you point me to a guide on what to change where? I can't seem to find actual instructions, just references to enmenu.txt

There's an additional Steibler mod

Also could someone direct me to this mod? I searched and even went to Steibler's profile and looked there under his mods, but couldn't find anything.

With base GWX + widescreen it just happens to run fine at first then crash mid campaign.

Is this verified? Will this happen/is it more or less likely to happen given I have H.Sie patch and tychos patch?

[Hooston]

H.sie V16B1 https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/dow...o=file&id=4412
This is a batch file to mod sh3.exe, some replacement files for JSGME and some text files to append to the menus



Stiebler mod https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/dow...o=file&id=4717
Same thing again, AFTER applying the H.sie mod



It's really difficult to understand the instructions and really fiddly to do, especially if you are using Wine/Proton.


Life is too short, I really recommend a supermod like Onealex or NYGM Hardcore Enhanced

[promitheas]

Originally Posted by Hooston

Life is too short, I really recommend a supermod like Onealex or NYGM Hardcore Enhanced

Hmmm, I read that OneAlex is a standalone installation, so no need to go through all the H.Sie, Stiebler, and Tycho patching all over again, so I might give it a shot and see how stable it is (I just had a crash after sinking a whaler of 12000 tonnes, and starting to track a new convoy soooo, I'm a bit frustrated )

Is it as simple as downloading, extracting somewhere, and then running through wine (or lets say adding as non-steam game and running with proton)?

And how can I set up SH3Commander on linux? I havent tried it yet but it seems I need to if only to stop having to micromanage my crew fatigue

Thanks for your help btw <3