Asset descriptions

[ray_whiley]

Now that images of assets on the DLS are no longer immediately visible when 'detailed' is clicked on the black pages of the DLS, it is surely more important for a clear description to be included in the config file? Yet more and more new creations are lacking this vital piece of information - and the only way of getting even a general idea is through the small category icon, which is not always accurate.

Even if the inclusion of a description can not be made mandatory, creators should be given every encouragement to include one - it only takes a few minutes to write something which is both clear and concise.

Ray

 

[jcardana]

Ditto!!!!!

 

[Konni]

Hi,

If thumbnails can be made mandatory, I cannot see why descriptions, at least in the content creator's native language, cannot be made mandatory too.

I am ready to concede, that writing short and concise descriptions is not as easy at it looks. Or have you never read descriptions of quite ordinary commercial products?
Nevertheless I think they are important and thus need be given the same importance as thumbnails. For traincars there is the engine shed, where traincars can be examined and their descriptions read. The same function should be available at least in surveyor. How else, can users learn how to use rather specialized content properly?

A special case are descriptions for interiors which ought to be readable in the driver and DCC modes. If content creators achieve the ultimate level of performance, a cab drivable in the driver mode without needing the head-up displays, then detailed descripts of the cab are required. In the driver mode at least, the description should be callable any time in the form of pop-up windows. Descriptions of this kind will also need the option to include small explanatory pictures.
This can already be done by script, but requires scripting skills and is quite tedious anyhow. It would be very helpful, if extended descriptions as described could be made by means of the inbuilt CCP software package.

Cheers,

Konni

 

[oknotsen]

I would even like to be able to filter in CM on the content of the description.
Men I would be happy if I could be able to exclude all those "Another model created in Google SketchUp and exported to Trainz with RubyTMIX." items with a simple filter. Totally useless description and 99% of the time items that are total horror for performance (hello way to many poly's for the simple thingie it represents).

in the content creator's native language

I personally would prefer that to be English.
Note that English is not my native language.

writing short and concise descriptions is not as easy at it looks.

Who says it has to be short?

 

[NSWGR_46Class]

I can see creators really getting on board on this one - it was insisted that thumbnails had to be included - and now they are not being used by the DLS how long before the description would be dumped as well

 

[clam1952]

Known issue covered in other threads, caused probably by migration to the new DLS, it's been reported, it's going to get fixed, meanwhile you can see the Thumbnails on the not yet announced WIP New DLS http://dls.trainzportal.com/index.php.

 

[narrowgauge]

Check again. CM shows thumbnails where they have been provided. If this facility has been omitted in the new white pages then I suggest it is an omission that can be fixed as part of the bedding-in process of the new pages. Rather than whinge about it here, send the helpdesk a message advising them of the omission.

Peter

 

[Robert2d6]

I looked up some items on the DLS this morning and all 8 I looked at had thumbnails.

 

[Konni]

Hi,

@ oknotsen,

As to size of a description we should not set our sights too high. Anyhow, the lenght of a description should be in reasonable proportion to the asset. Anything else would be contra productive. I already consider it a great progress that size of descriptions in ts12 is no longer as restrictively handled as in earlier versions.

As to the language I too would prefer an english description in any case. However, fact is, that a good content creator is not necessarily fluent in that language. Making an english description mandatory might pose an additional barrier to creating and uploading content. I would definetely prefer a description in any other language used in this forum to no description at all.

Anyhow, content made by e.g. a german content creator for use on routes located in Germany, will mainly be interesting for users in Germany or interested in the german railway scene and therefore likely able to read and understand a german description.


Cheers,


Konni

 

[JCitron]

I agree with what's being said here, but a combination of a decent picture, i.e. a thumbnail, and some words explaining what the object is. We do have occasional technical difficulties with thumbnails, but they do appear after downloading. Recently I have downloaded items, taken a look at them locally where the thumbnail appears, and then deleted them.

What I really find useless are the generic icons with no actual picture and no description. They're some logo for something or collaborative group. These might be really useful items, but not having a good description to go along with a useless picture, makes them useless to me and probably to a lot of other users.

John

 

[clam1952]

I agree with what's being said here, but a combination of a decent picture, i.e. a thumbnail, and some words explaining what the object is. We do have occasional technical difficulties with thumbnails, but they do appear after downloading. Recently I have downloaded items, taken a look at them locally where the thumbnail appears, and then deleted them.

What I really find useless are the generic icons with no actual picture and no description. They're some logo for something or collaborative group. These might be really useful items, but not having a good description to go along with a useless picture, makes them useless to me and probably to a lot of other users.

John

They could also I suspect in some cases be hiding cloned assets pinched from others for the purpose of multiplayer.

 

[JCitron]

They could also I suspect in some cases be hiding cloned assets pinched from others for the purpose of multiplayer.

That's a very good possibility too, Malc. A lot of these items though appear to be some kind of scripts for switches and signals.

John

 

[Dinorius_Redundicus]

They could also I suspect in some cases be hiding cloned assets pinched from others for the purpose of multiplayer.

So, what happened to Bort85? Were we successful in getting his clones removed?

 

[RRSignal]

I would even like to be able to filter in CM on the content of the description.
Men I would be happy if I could be able to exclude all those "Another model created in Google SketchUp and exported to Trainz with RubyTMIX." items with a simple filter. Totally useless description and 99% of the time items that are total horror for performance (hello way to many poly's for the simple thingie it represents).

YES! FREAKIN' YES!

 

[Dinorius_Redundicus]

I would even like to be able to filter in CM on the content of the description.
Men I would be happy if I could be able to exclude all those "Another model created in Google SketchUp and exported to Trainz with RubyTMIX." items with a simple filter. Totally useless description and 99% of the time items that are total horror for performance (hello way to many poly's for the simple thingie it represents).

Totally agree with this. I have long wished that CM could search on any legitimate tag that appears in config.txt. Trainzobjectz could do this......8 years ago. Even the old Black Page DLS has the ability to search the Description, why not CM?

And personally I prefer English too, but I think any language is better than nothing - with the proviso that its text can be handled properly by a web page and CM. There's not much point in a language that comes out as a series of ???????????????? or other garbage. Not even useful to those that speak that language.

 

[sniper297]

"They could also I suspect in some cases be hiding cloned assets pinched from others for the purpose of multiplayer."

There's an option in the Auran upload page to make the asset "invisible" so it will only be downloaded if it's a dependency of something, dunno what that's for.

My solution is rather simple - no description no download, I just skip past it to something with a coherent description. I might miss a few gems here and there but 99% of the time if the guy didn't add a description how good could it be?

 

[angelah]

Whether or not the thumbnail appears depends on whether or not Detailed is clicked. I would think that by selecting Detailed a thumbnail would be visible, it seems not by N3V standards. This has puzzled me and I only found out by accident how the get the thumbnail to show.
It has long been a thorn in my side that some creators use a generic thumbnail on the assets instead of a picture of the actual piece of Trainz content, after all, it does not take long to take a screenshot, resize it and pop it into the necessary folder. Without a proper thumbnail of the asset in question it tells us absolutely nothing and from my point of view if I don't know what the assets is it is not worth downloading.
I always use a thumbnail and description because I want the end user to understand what my asset is all baout and so allow that person to make the choice to download or not.

Angela

 

[Konni]

Hi,

I disagree with Johns comment on generic icons. They are dead useful for marking assets pertaining to one subject.

When I created together with erosch and OpAmp the series of assets about East German open cast lignite mining they were all marked with a specific icon. I intend to do the same thing before uploading the assets for the broad gauge Grandduchy of Baden Railways of the 1840s I am currently working on.


Cheers,


Konni

 

[ray_whiley]

I always use a thumbnail and description because I want the end user to understand what my asset is all baout and so allow that person to make the choice to download or not.

The best reason for both description and thumbnail!

Ray

 

[clam1952]

And particularly important at the moment due to the amount of complete garbage routes being uploaded, anything good without a thumbnail relevant to it and a description is likely to get ignored by most of us.
Generic images, I can see a point in some circumstances however it's also possibly a way of hiding illegal cloning. Suggest anyone with anything on the DLS or elsewhere keeps an eye what's appearing on the DLS re Multiplayer from a certain site. pofigs trees are not the only items getting cloned and getting updated for multiplayer without permission.