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Silent Hunter III in any resolution
By 🅵🆁🅴🅳🅴🆁🅸🅺
The most common problem new players run into when buying this great classic is the hard coded outdated resolution the game comes with. If you try to run Silent Hunter III in any resolution above 1024x768 it will give you a Failed to Initiate 3D Engine error message, or simply not give you any error messages at all and refuse to launch. There are several solutions to this but the one I'm going to show you is the easiest and quickest method. For me I'm running Silent Hunter III in 2560x1440 in WIndows 10 without any problems so far.
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Created by
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Category: Modding or Configuration
Languages: English
Posted
Updated
11 Mar, 2018 @ 11:41am
11 Aug, 2022 @ 7:33am
22,655 Unique Visitors
534 Current Favorites
Guide Index
Overview
Prerequisites 
Required Mods 
Installing the Mods 
Comments
Prerequisites
Clean Install

First make sure you have a clean and fresh install of Silent Hunter III. If you are doing a clean installation of the game after reading this guide make sure after uninstalling from your Steam library to remove the old folders:

  1. C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Silent Hunter 3
  2. C:\Users\Username\Documents\SH3

Compatibility Mode

Unfortunately Silent Hunter III is that old and requires to be run as administrator and in compatibility mode. What worked for me is Windows XP Service Pack 3.

  1. Navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Silent Hunter 3.
  2. Locate the sh3.exe file which should be near the end of the list of files.
  3. Right click on sh3.exe and select Properties.
  4. Navigate to the Compatibility tab.
  5. Enable Run this program in compatibility mode and select WIndows XP (Service Pack 3).
  6. Enable the option Run this program as administrator at the bottom of the window.
  7. Apply the changes and exit.

Test run the game
I advice you to test run the game to make sure everything wors properly before installing the mods. But how do I run the game without it crashing?

  1. Right click anywhere on your desktop and change your desktop resolution to 1024x768.
  2. Launch the game as you normally would and you should get to the main menu.
  3. Take this opportunity to navigate into the options menu and set the game to run in fullscreen.
  4. Save the settings and start up any mission to see if it loads into the game properly.
  5. Quit the game and change back your desktop resolution to your native resolution.


Required Mods
We need three mods to get the game properly working in any resolution.

Silent Hunter III 4GB Patch[ntcore.com]
Jonesoft Generic Mod Enabler[www.subsim.com]
Silent Hunter III Resolution Fix[www.subsim.com]
Installing the Mods
Silent Hunter III 4GB Patch
What you want to do first is installing the 4GB Patch which will extend the virtual memory the game can take advantage of on modern x64 systems. This will help alot if you plan on installing more mods, like the Grey Wolves Expansion Pack, and will improve stability. Silent Hunter III was developed for old operating systems with 2GB of virtual memory.

  1. Open the 4GB Patch archive and place the 4gb_patch.exe in the game installation folder C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Silent Hunter 3.
  2. Make sure to run the patch as administartor.
  3. When the patch ask you to select a file make sure to select the sh3.exe file in the same folder.
  4. If everything went well the patch will tell you the executable were successfully patched.
  5. Sleect OK and you can now delete the patch from the installation folder.

Jonesoft Generic Mod Enabler
This is the tool we will use to install the Silent Hunter III Resolution Fix mod for in the next step. This is a very handly tool to organize your mods. You can load and unload mods and keep your mods in one separate folder for later use.

  1. Open the JSGME archive and run the jsgme_setup.exe from any location.
  2. When asked to provide an installation directory make sure to select the installation folder again.
  3. Finish the installation.

Silent Hunter III Resolution Fix
For the final part to get the vanilla version of the game to run in your desired resolution we will use JSGME to install this mod.

  1. Navigate to the installation folder again and there should be a MODS folder.
  2. Create a new folder in the MODS folder called Resolution Fix.
  3. Open the Resolution Fix archive and there should be two files called d3d9.cfg and d3d9.ini.
  4. Place the two files in the newly created Resolution Fix folder in the MODS folder.
  5. Run JSGME.exe located in the installation folder as administartor.
  6. Select the Resolution Fix from the left window and use the right arrow button to load it.
  7. To make sure the mod is successfully installed the two files d3d9.cfg and d3d9.ini should be in the installation folder.
  8. Open the newly created d3d9.cfg file in the installation folder with Notepad.
  9. Change resX= and resY= to your desired resolution. I use 2560x1440 so for me resX=2560 and resY=1440.
  10. Save the file and try to run the game using the sh3.exe file in the installation folder.
  11. If the game boots up in your desired resolution everything went well!

67 Comments
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kalnon 9 Oct @ 1:46pm 
This is the mod that I use to play the game at higher resolution. It's called Ahnenerbe WideGui and you can find it here: https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=215433

It increases the game's resolution to 1920 x 1080, and also makes some interesting improvements to the UI. The game can only be played at 1920 x 1080 with this mod, but at least you can play in widescreen. I find that it is plenty good enough for this old game.
Lameking 7 Jul @ 5:01am 
I can't find the resolution fix, I just purchased the game and I created an account in Subsim to get JSGME
Cervecero 25 May @ 3:00am 
Problem: I've been playing KC without any problems until a few days ago. The game works except for loading saves in "career." I've tried everything mentioned in the posted guide (https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1328154608) and it doesn't solve the problem.

I've also tried this solution you provided, but it doesn't solve it. I've ruled out corruption in the career files since I've tried loading several. The result is a crash to desktop just as the save is about to load.
Any solution before reinstalling the entire game again and losing the entire career? TY
dogwalker1 25 Apr @ 11:00am 
Is this supposed to work with Win 11? I followed all the steps to the letter; when I launch it I get the windows 'Do you allow this application to make changes etc.',I click Allow, then nothing happens, no message or anything. The resolution I tried to apply is 1920 x 1200 (my screen's native).
Jodi-Wan-Kenobi 16 Mar @ 6:42am 
thank you!
EsttroPL 23 Feb @ 3:47am 
It's still working, thank you!
beversdorfjames 24 Jan @ 6:24pm 
the game silenthunter 3 I uninstalled it on my Microsoft tablet . I bought it as a download but wont work on my iPad on steam..so I uninstalled the download and it says it’s still in my library. I tried to buy it but says still in my library .
ObrGreup 8 Jan @ 2:49pm 
It worked ... thank you!
KEINZIVI 7 Jan @ 10:59am 
Here ist a Fix for Resosolution to Download >>>> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1THTP9qoKNRgjcAuBT1yp2rZudvzA_PiJ/view?usp=sharing <<<<
Extract it in your SH3 Main folder . after lounch SP2 Rez Fix.exe
Edit the d3d9.cfg File and Run and Enjoy the Game in Resolution you want
The Father 20 Nov, 2024 @ 11:56am 
i dont have an sh3.exe folder