Massive destroyer fleet crashes game?
 

Hello there, fellow skippers! I have encountered an issue in SH4. Just south of Honshu, I get a merchant contact that turns into 3 warship contacts. At first I just assumed it was a TF so I got excited and got into position. However, while using TC to speed things along my game suddenly started slowing waaaaay down. I go into freelook above the surface and what a site to behold! FORTY destroyers are basically on top of me. Five of them were in a straight line formation with the rest being jumbled up all over the place.

Then my game crashed. I reloaded and and fired 2 eels at the lead destroyer to see what you happen. The second they hit the game crashed. Tried it again, crash. Ended up having to sit at 1024x TC and wait for them to sail on. However, even out of site and no sound contact the game still runs slow when using TC. Has anyone here encountered this before? I am using the steam version of the game with the Uboat missions installed as well - not the SH: Goldpack.

Old bug in game. Someone at UBI did not pay attention to the spawn rate in a random group, so basically it spawns x amount over time, then you encounter them and they are rendered in3D, it really taxes your system and the game to render than many ships. Then overwhelms it when try to torpedo etc. Rare but if encounter best to just avoid it go easy on Tc so dont get a CTD

Well, I can't even do that now. Every time I try to load the file the game crashes. Had to start the patrol all over again.

Yes, you can't save anywhere near them. Will corrupt the save.


Always save at least 50 nautical mile away from contacts and even land if possible.

Make sure no contacts on radar, visual, or sound.

you are in good company, my friend.
many of us have suffered through that unexpected feature.
thank goodness they designed a Save function. :haha:(developer sardonic humor here)
:Kaleun_Salute:

The "root" cause of this "phenomenon", aka: "design feature" is improperly terminated Random Generated Groups in the Jap_HarborTraffic.mis file, that are supposed to be "Docked" ships with a zero speed. They were instead accidentally left at the default speed setting of 5 knots. This is another reason why we split that file into "layers" for FotRSU.

The ships sail around the world - literally - with no set course, just their initial heading, and since they are only in the database until the player's sub gets close enough to spawn them, they do not care about land masses or other obstructions, so they keep on sailing on that same heading, traversing the globe. Every few days a new "group" (generally one ship) will spawn, and they will gradually build-up over the "years" in the game into those massive DD convoys, of which off Honshu could be parts of 4 or 5 such groups. I think there is like seven sets of them in the Stock game. Some mods actually made the situation worse by copying those groups and placing them elsewhere in the "world".

Another aspect that can contribute to the situation is if the player adds and subtracts mods from the game that alter the campaign files, and does not empty the Save folder between such mods. In cases like that, one set-up might have a given group moving, while the next has the same-named group stationary. Not clearing the Save data can then cause a bad mix of the two mods, resulting in a bunch of Flying Dutchman type ships, doomed to sail the seas forever...

https://s3.amazonaws.com/assets.saam...?itok=aJRIE_Hk

That's awesome that you guys have found a possible workaround. I've been playing both SH3 and 4 since they came out but have never encountered this bug before after a decade. Strange. I've also only ever played vanilla. Maybe I'll try FotRSu after I get done with my current career. They really Ubiass should have named SH4 "Bugs of the Pacific".

i like that moniker: Bugs of the Pacific.
can't stop laughing because it is so true.
:har:

Welcome aboard!