Why does Trainz always break my content in some way???

[hiawathamr]

This is going to be a rant like post but every single time I make something in Trainz and its completed Trainz always, always, always has to put its face into my content and cause some kind of issue with it. Issues be like bugs, graphic glitches, etc and every time they get reported N3V can't repro the issue even with steps provided (this is why I stopped reporting).

With sessions, everything works until its ready to be shipped out, then Trainz decides to cause script failures which results in having to delete several folders (except local and original) and rebuild everything. After letting Trainz rebuild the deleted folders and doing an extended database then things works as expected.

Now with my Chicago route things are being finished up and now Trainz decides to give it a grahpical glitches (see video here https://filedn.com/lcKQxpMQFDKSNf8NGMyURIB/texture glitches.mp4 ). I loaded a few of my other routes and none of them present this issue - just my Chicago route.

It seems every time I create content with this game the game just has to destroy it... this is getting real tired and annoying real fast. Not a happy creator and I'm starting to lose interest with this game because of all these annoying 'features'. I don't want to create anymore content if all the effort will just go down the drain because Trainz has to be Trainz.

This is using Trainz Plus 119450 (as I love using S2.0).

What I tried:
- I've updated all of my drivers to the latest versions
- tried it on another computer - same thing
- tried both a standard and extended databases

My main system build (desktop) is:
- Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-10700K CPU @ 3.80GHz 3.79 GHz
- Installed RAM: 16.0 GB (15.8 GB usable)
- System type: 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (12.0 GB)
- Edition: Windows 10 Pro
- Version: 22H2
- Installed on: 4/‎20/‎2023
- OS build: 19045.3208
- Experience: Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.19041.1000.0

My MSI laptop that I also use with Trainz 119450 has (also with latest drivers installed) :
- Processor: 11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-11800H @ 2.30GHz 2.30GHz
- Installed RAM: 16GB.0 GB (15.7 Usable)
- System type: 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU (6GB)
- Edition: Windows 10 Pro
- Version: 22H2
- Installed on: 11/21/2022
- OS build: 19045.3208
- Experience: Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.19041.1000.0


My Trainz settings:
Settings: https://prnt.sc/8j4T04nLt0iL
In-game: https://prnt.sc/JoWbh-2Z9f-y


My questions:
- Has anyone else experienced this? If so what did you do to resolve it?

 

[JCitron]

What are your shadow settings? The crawly glitchy surfaces appear to be related to that. The assets themselves, not blaming the content creator, may also have some coplanar faces on them causing the surface to flip out at certain angles due to Z-buffer fighting.

What buildings are you using? If we can take a look at them in our setups, that would be a great way to test that theory.

If it is only your settings, you can release the route without worry. The hardware itself is fine and those are really nice machines that can handle that smart looking route. I can't wait to download it and give it a try. Are there going to be any summer sessions as well?

Back to topic. Regarding the other issues.

Script errors are caused by various things.

N3V has recently updated the error-reporting for older scripts. Instead of sending out errors, the program now sends out errors. It would've been nice if the Brew Crew worked with the content creators instead of leaving everyone to figure out on their on that their content is now trashed, and the content creators to figure out how to fix the errors if possible.

As you've probably encountered, sometimes after updates the libraries folder gets updated but the cached libraries does not always get updated, causing weird things to happen. Deleting folders and forcing a rebuild is a bit on the drastic side and that shouldn't be necessary. What I do is clear out the cache/libraries folder instead. This helps a lot in this regard.

If you still experience problems, you may want to try this instead of deleting and doing a very lengthy rebuild:

Delete the following files:


assets.tdx
asset-cache.tdx


Also delete the content-only of the following folders:


cache/internet
cache/libraries


Run a DBR, which will run extremely fast, and I found nothing missing in Content Manager. The only issue I faced, however, was the precaching process started up again at the beginning of each route for a little bit, but after that, things were fine. If you know how to use TrainzUtil to precache, do that instead to speed up the process on the next start up.

 

[norfolksouthern37]

With sessions, everything works until its ready to be shipped out, then Trainz decides to cause script failures which results in having to delete several folders (except local and original) and rebuild everything. After letting Trainz rebuild the deleted folders and doing an extended database then things works as expected.

No... This doesn't happen to anyone. Nobody has ever had trainz randomly cause script failures that require ham-fisted resolutions like deleting game folders. it is without question something you did to the software either by modding or adding things that are not plain assets. It just doesn't work that way. I am not saying trainz is a particularly robust or perfect software it is far from that, but in my many years experience I know that it doesn't just randomly do things that cause "script failures" thats 100% caused by the user or at the worst the user's own hardware failing.

 

[hiawathamr]

Hi John,

What are your shadow settings? The crawly glitchy surfaces appear to be related to that. The assets themselves, not blaming the content creator, may also have some coplanar faces on them causing the surface to flip out at certain angles due to Z-buffer fighting.

Shadows: High
Main Shadow res: 2048

What buildings are you using? If we can take a look at them in our setups, that would be a great way to test that theory.

See https://filedn.com/lcKQxpMQFDKSNf8NGMyURIB/items.txt as the list is long

If it is only your settings, you can release the route without worry. The hardware itself is fine and those are really nice machines that can handle that smart looking route. I can't wait to download it and give it a try. Are there going to be any summer sessions as well?

I wish it was just one set of hardware but having the same thing happen on another computer as well? Unless both computers are breaking (which isn't the case) it shouldn't transfer over...
Route is fully seasonal so summer time sessions will be made as well.

Script errors are caused by various things.

N3V has recently updated the error-reporting for older scripts. Instead of sending out errors, the program now sends out errors. It would've been nice if the Brew Crew worked with the content creators instead of leaving everyone to figure out on their on that their content is now trashed, and the content creators to figure out how to fix the errors if possible.

As you've probably encountered, sometimes after updates the libraries folder gets updated but the cached libraries does not always get updated, causing weird things to happen. Deleting folders and forcing a rebuild is a bit on the drastic side and that shouldn't be necessary. What I do is clear out the cache/libraries folder instead. This helps a lot in this regard.

If you still experience problems, you may want to try this instead of deleting and doing a very lengthy rebuild:

Delete the following files:


assets.tdx
asset-cache.tdx


Also delete the content-only of the following folders:


cache/internet
cache/libraries

This is what I do when Trainz does it. Most times its just when Trainz wants to do it without me touching anything and its always the N3V built-in rules that decides to make the script errors.
For assets, I have all of the checkboxes turned on so when I place an item that produces a script error I can immediately delete the item and delete it from CM so it doesn't get used in any of my content as I like to keep everything error free.

 

[JCitron]

I have the buildings installed, so I'll take a look at them in detail. I've used those before and never saw anything like that.

Try a larger shadow map and see what happens. I run with my shadow map at 4096 and standard.

Regarding the script settings.

This is something that you really don't have to touch. I understand the reason why, but it isn't necessary since the average user who downloads your routes won't bother with these settings. The only time I turn them on is during Trainz beta testing to help N3V find faulty scripts, not that it seems to help.

With that said, I'm sure all routes will have these same script errors you are experiencing. What is normally done is the program will ignore the majority of the script faults and only stop on the really broken ones. Broken being what N3V determines to be broken such as AJS's supercript library.

 

[hiawathamr]

I have the buildings installed, so I'll take a look at them in detail. I've used those before and never saw anything like that.

Try a larger shadow map and see what happens. I run with my shadow map at 4096 and standard.

I didn't try this but instead decided to go into my Subversion (SVN) server and go back a week to when the route was done before the graphical glitch happened so I can export it from Trainz as a cdp file (you have no idea how many times the SVN server saved my content from Trainz corrupting my routes - much better than backing up as cdp files). I have a working copy again which was something I should've tried first before posting but since it transferred over to another computer then it was time to just post my frustrations with the game from years of usage (since TANE).

Regarding the script settings.

This is something that you really don't have to touch. I understand the reason why, but it isn't necessary since the average user who downloads your routes won't bother with these settings. The only time I turn them on is during Trainz beta testing to help N3V find faulty scripts, not that it seems to help.

With that said, I'm sure all routes will have these same script errors you are experiencing. What is normally done is the program will ignore the majority of the script faults and only stop on the really broken ones. Broken being what N3V determines to be broken such as AJS's supercript library.

I know its an overkill but I like to have quality content used without the script errors than using something that looks good that contains several script errors. I know N3V has been breaking scripts like crazy when they update theirs to prepare Trainz to do that route streaming thing they are slowly enforcing. I understand they want performance to be good but at the same time doesn't help when us creators have to keep repeating steps to repair things like in my book replacing content that contains broken scripts with something else or redoing a section of rules in the sessions because a rule is broken.

Cheers