Building the Wallace Branch - New Series

[hiawathamr]

It is my understanding that a route of 2 GB could not be posted to the DLS in any case.

The DLS as far as I'm aware of, doesn't care about the size of the route but you will run into trying to package it up as a .cdp file as Trainz will mostly likely timeout when packaging the route of that size. My Midwestern Rails can't be exported as a cdp file due to being too large in size (route size is around 1.50GB). That's the problem with using legacy file formats with modern routes as we all know route sizes will only increase - not decreasing (and converting it to HD terrain is only going to double that)

Anyway if you want to upload to the DLS, as long as the .cdp file size is 512 MB or less, it'll accept it.
If you want to keep it as one whole, you'll either go into your local folder and look via the kuid number or open the route for edit in CM and zip up the tiny route files. Both would require hosting it on a website/file hosting if you want others to download it.


Payware routes sold through N3V doesn't matter as they use the new .tzarc files which is the new format which support an unlimited file size.
The final packaged size (when TCCP is done packaging up the route and its dependencies) can't be above 15GB. This is something you won't know until you run it through and it fails (with the new tzarc compression since SP1, this shouldn't be much of an issue).


It would be awesome when N3V makes a tool that'd handle tzarc files like how it handles cdp files.


Cheers

 

[Piere]

I don't know if this is the case but if he's going to sell it as payware via N3V, then yes, its a requirement to have sessions made for the route (3rd party websites with payware can do whatever).

If its DLS, then no sessions are required (again with 3rd party websites, they can do whatever).

Cheers

Ahh, fair point. I hadn't considered that aspect.

Cheers,
Piere.

 

[hiawathamr]

No worries.

Cheers

 

[wayneshorter1965]

Wonderful work being done here. Appreciate your efforts in regards to preservation as well as your recent freeware contributions.

 

[Forester1]

Enjoying some of your latest uploaded assets, Thank you again! You might want to double-check your thumbnail for <kuid:1014924:1007559> AH Generic House 12. It loks like they are going to have to saw and plane and cut those logs to build the house.

 

[derznovich]

Enjoying some of your latest uploaded assets, Thank you again! You might want to double-check your thumbnail for <kuid:1014924:1007559> AH Generic House 12. It loks like they are going to have to saw and plane and cut those logs to build the house.

Lol!

For my next loco thumbnail, maybe just a pile of iron ore -- what do you think?

Already fixed. Seems I did the thumbnail and the version with the thumbnail and description never made it into my CM. I see some other descriptions are missing too. (Hard to tell if that's even worth correcting.)

Skin-changing ACF centerflow hoppers and 52' gondolas coming next. Then locos.

 

[ricomon35]

Lol!

For my next loco thumbnail, maybe just a pile of iron ore -- what do you think?

Already fixed. Seems I did the thumbnail and the version with the thumbnail and description never made it into my CM. I see some other descriptions are missing too. (Hard to tell if that's even worth correcting.)

Skin-changing ACF centerflow hoppers and 52' gondolas coming next. Then locos.

JeezLouise. I suppose I'll now need to buy a new SSD for Trainz 22.... (grumble grumble). and Trainz 22.

If I want to buy/run your route @derznovich !

Glad to see you've made it all the way through the build process unscathed !

 

[DevMike]

Hi!,

Loving the series on YouTube. Just followed on Twitch, looking forward to some livestreams.

Cheers,
Mike

 

[Jmdasilva]

Hi @derznovich, I've seen one of your Wallace Branch route-building videos, and they look impressive for the way you've built. And congratulations on completing the route.

And one curious question. When will the Wallace Branch route be released for Trainz?

 

[derznovich]

Hi @derznovich, I've seen one of your Wallace Branch route-building videos, and they look impressive for the way you've built. And congratulations on completing the route.

And one curious question. When will the Wallace Branch route be released for Trainz?

Thanks for asking and for the kind comment! I had been meaning to put out an update for some time, ideally as a video. But I was hoping to make more progress first.

In late 2025 my focus was getting all of the assets onto the DLS, which proved a far more difficult task than expected. But that's now mostly done.

The next task was making some sessions, and I have had some wonderful help from a longtime user whom some of you may know. (Proper credit when time comes.) Anyway, he was also able to help me beta test the route and get the size down to something N3V could accept. As well, we made the decision to switch over from the original trees from the YouTube series to the new PF trees. They don't look as nice (colors, detail) and the result is a lot of flickering as you move around the route.

But more than that, we made the decision to slim down the all-HD route to make it a mixture of HD and non-HD terrain. Early on, I knew that the big gap in the terrain made HD kind of unworkable unless the route was 100% HD, and I saw this as the reason not to ever hope it could be released. After seeing what it looked like after making the switch, my fears were justified. I have created a spline to cover up this gigantic gap, but it leaves me feeling the route has lost something it originally had -- unbeatable mountain scenery.

Now, the only things to do are to re-test the sessions and send the route to N3V to see if it will pass muster, either as a DLS or a built-in route for the new release. This has been my big project for almost 3 years, and there are now almost 1000 assets on the DLS to make it a reality to share with others. Hope I can drum up some support to take it the rest of the way!

I would like to post some images, but none of the image hosting sites seems to work for me today.