..was wondering if you could categorise all the content in Trainz 2010 ...
Daniel.
Yes, you can but be careful what you wish for. This is exactly what I am doing, and have been doing, for the last 6 weeks ever since I got my copy of TS2010, and I can't see myself finishing anytime before Xmas. It's a real PITA.
If you look into it, so much of the built-in content is wrongly categorised with inconsistencies everywhere in terms of names, regions, eras, keywords, etc etc. In view of that, I just can't see how search filters and other mechanisms can really be effective. I guess you are leaning towards the same conclusion.
I've privately decided to edit that mess of built-in content, especially the usernames and regions, at the config.txt level before I even attempt to use TS2010 for anything. If I'm going to all this trouble, I want my changes to be embedded in the configs and I intend to store all the edited assets in some form of backup file/s ready to re-install them if they get wiped by an auto-update, patch, crash or whatever. Keywords can be saved to and restored from backups too, but I just think they are a second-best option.
Given the sheer volume of assets involved (>18,000) it rapidly becomes clear that we need a utility that can display and edit assets in
batches. Unfortunately, I find that Content Manager is next to useless for such an endeavour. Basically all it can do is grab assets out of it's database and dump them into some regular Windows folders, leaving you to edit them one at a time unless you have better software to help you.
In desperation, I have taken to using the old TRS2004 utility, Trainzobjectz, and on occasion, a programmable text editor to mass-edit usernames that conform to set patterns. For wierd foreign language stuff, I find that PEV's Mesh Viewer is invaluable for seeing what the asset is, and Google Language Tools to get further clues from the username or description part of the config.
It's a mammoth struggle, but I think it's working. I have done about 10,000 assets so far.
Following this of course I still face months of analysing and fixing the inherent errors that N3V artificially suppressed in the built-in content. These errors become exposed once you open a built-in asset for editing (TS2010 is such a joy to work with!). I'm hoping that the new utility, Asset-X, being developed by PEV and Andi06, will be fully operational in time to help me in this phase.
So by mid 2011, I should be in a position to start using TS2010 and maybe even creating some content, but by then I suppose N3V will have released a new version and changed all the ground rules again...
~ Deane
