Content Store

[Twowit2woo]

I set a ton of stuff to download from the content store. About 6 downloads in the game completely crashed and I had to kill it.
Am I able to resume this? It appears to have lost all the queued stuff?

 

[pware]

Content Store specifically mean the DLC, which is accessed through the Content Store link on the Launcher Screen then most of this is payware. If you have already paid for that content then you can download it again at anytime.

If you mean the "free stuff" on the DLS, the Download Station, which is available through Content Manager, then again you can access and download from there as often as you like. There is a daily limit and your download speed will be restricted unless you have purchased an FCT (First Class TIcket) or have one as part of a subscription.

In both cases you will need to select the items again.

 

[Twowit2woo]

Content Store specifically mean the DLC, which is accessed through the Content Store link on the Launcher Screen then most of this is payware. If you have already paid for that content then you can download it again at anytime.

If you mean the "free stuff" on the DLS, the Download Station, which is available through Content Manager, then again you can access and download from there as often as you like. There is a daily limit and your download speed will be restricted unless you have purchased an FCT (First Class TIcket) or have one as part of a subscription.

In both cases you will need to select the items again.

Thanks for the detailed response.

I did mean the free stuff and I have an FCT.

That's really annoying as it took me hours to trawl through that because there's so much stuff in there a lot of which is just nonsense.

Am I missing a trick? Is there a sensible way to find decent content or is it just a free for all where people can dump anything they like?

I did filter by sessions only but still there's too much stuff to wade through. It seems a bit disorganized and I'm struggling to understand the value of having the ticket. Yes I get the faster download speeds but it's finding stuff which is the biggest issue.

 

[pware]

Am I missing a trick? Is there a sensible way to find decent content or is it just a free for all where people can dump anything they like?

I did filter by sessions only but still there's too much stuff to wade through. It seems a bit disorganized and I'm struggling to understand the value of having the ticket. Yes I get the faster download speeds but it's finding stuff which is the biggest issue.

No you are not "missing a trick" as even seasoned campaigners have trouble sifting the "good stuff" from the "not so good stuff".

As to people "dumping anything they like" - in a nutshell, yes. All registered Trainz users can upload anything they like as long as it meets the technical requirements for the type of asset, the version or Trainz build number, and is free of content errors. But that says nothing about the quality - only you can be the judge of that and not all users have the same views.

Unfortunately, a fair bit of that dumping is from Android users who use the DLS to store their unfinished routes.

Despite the issues of finding stuff, the FCT does have value. Those who do not have it often complain about the download limit and lower speeds they have to endure.

Some tricks I use:-
If the asset does not have a clear thumbnail image (and the message "This is Not a Thumbnail" does not count) then I don't bother downloading it. If you are going to put your time and efforts into making a decent asset then a minute or two to create a clear and accurate thumbnail image of the asset is not a burden.
If the asset does not have a clear description of what it is then "ditto", I don't bother selecting it.
If the asset is a small scenery item and has a huge file size (e.g. 10+ MB) then I am immediately suspicious. It was possibly created in SketchUp and comes with an enormous polygon count and hundreds of textures that can easily slow your frame rate to the level of a really boring PowerPoint presentation. The worst I can recall was a suitcase that was a whopping 50MB - it must have contained the Crown Jewels.

You can use the Trainz build number value as a rough guide. The lower the build number the older the asset and the less likely it is to conform to the latest standards but there are always exceptions. Here is a list of Trainz build numbers and their corresponding minimum Trainz versions.

 

[1611mac]

Time helps also. Eventually you will learn who makes quality assets and who doesn't. So be sure to note the "author" (in Content Manager) of the things you like. You can then search for that creators assets in CM. Set a filter "Not Installed" and any other criteria (such as Buld number, Type, ertc) and then search for that "author". You can also make a "favorite authors" filter. The CM filter system is very powerful and can help. Be sure you learn how to use it in best ways possible. Don't be afraid ot ask quesitons. Knowing how to use CM and all it's little uses and fucntions is important. One example.. Clicking an installed item to select it, right clicking, and "add to picklist." For example uou can select all CSX diesels you have installed and make/add to a "CSX Power" picklist then select from this list in game instead of dealing with searching thru a long list to find CSX power.

 

[Twowit2woo]

No you are not "missing a trick" as even seasoned campaigners have trouble sifting the "good stuff" from the "not so good stuff".

As to people "dumping anything they like" - in a nutshell, yes. All registered Trainz users can upload anything they like as long as it meets the technical requirements for the type of asset, the version or Trainz build number, and is free of content errors. But that says nothing about the quality - only you can be the judge of that and not all users have the same views.

Unfortunately, a fair bit of that dumping is from Android users who use the DLS to store their unfinished routes.

Despite the issues of finding stuff, the FCT does have value. Those who do not have it often complain about the download limit and lower speeds they have to endure.

Some tricks I use:-
If the asset does not have a clear thumbnail image (and the message "This is Not a Thumbnail" does not count) then I don't bother downloading it. If you are going to put your time and efforts into making a decent asset then a minute or two to create a clear and accurate thumbnail image of the asset is not a burden.
If the asset does not have a clear description of what it is then "ditto", I don't bother selecting it.
If the asset is a small scenery item and has a huge file size (e.g. 10+ MB) then I am immediately suspicious. It was possibly created in SketchUp and comes with an enormous polygon count and hundreds of textures that can easily slow your frame rate to the level of a really boring PowerPoint presentation. The worst I can recall was a suitcase that was a whopping 50MB - it must have contained the Crown Jewels.

You can use the Trainz build number value as a rough guide. The lower the build number the older the asset and the less likely it is to conform to the latest standards but there are always exceptions. Here is a list of Trainz build numbers and their corresponding minimum Trainz versions.

Thank you. Appreciate your help

 

[Twowit2woo]

Time helps also. Eventually you will learn who makes quality assets and who doesn't. So be sure to note the "author" (in Content Manager) of the things you like. You can then search for that creators assets in CM. Set a filter "Not Installed" and any other criteria (such as Buld number, Type, ertc) and then search for that "author". You can also make a "favorite authors" filter. The CM filter system is very powerful and can help. Be sure you learn how to use it in best ways possible. Don't be afraid ot ask quesitons. Knowing how to use CM and all it's little uses and fucntions is important. One example.. Clicking an installed item to select it, right clicking, and "add to picklist." For example uou can select all CSX diesels you have installed and make/add to a "CSX Power" picklist then select from this list in game instead of dealing with searching thru a long list to find CSX power.

Understood.

Any recommended authors to start me off in the right direction?!

 

[1611mac]

That depends on your likes and dislikes. Prototypical, Model Railroad, Switching/Shunting, etc. And it also depends on how much time you want to look for, and install, assets.

A good place to start is the Freeware Announcements forum. Look for "Route" posts and then look thru the thread at the reaction/response. A lot of times the creator/author will provide a lot of detail and info about the route and/or where to locate assets. If they are willing to put a lot or work into their post about their route then odds are the route might be a good one. (But no guarantees.)

There's also a lot of threads in the main sections about "favorite routes" "go to routes" "best routes" etc. Search the forums for those posts.

Large prototypical routes are impressive but they can be a headache because they certainly may contain hard to find assets. Some proto routes are "fictional" while others come close to modeling the real thing. For fun sometime checkout "BNSF: Clovis to Lubbock" by maxwerks. When you get the route loaded then get Google Street View on another computer, tablet, phone, etc (or second screen). FInd a common location on both that runs next to the highway. As you run the route compare with the real world in Street View. Now, the buildings will be different ... But... they will match as close as possible and everything will be in proper location. It is amazing. But sometimes you just want to have fun and fictional routes with no rules fills the need. There's something for everyone.

 

[JCitron]

Using Content Manager, you can sort by upload date, by name, or by any other column by clicking on the column header.
If you haven't already, add in the remaining missing columns by right-clicking on the column header and choose the unchecked columns, one at a time unfortunately, until you've added them all in.
Once added, you can drag them around until you have the order you like and resize them to fit your screen by sliding the small column separator between each column.

Now, for finding content...

I sort by Upload date and it's arranged in descending order so that the oldest content is towards the bottom of my screen. This ensures I get the most recent content rather than older assets I'm not interested in. That doesn't mean that I don't scroll down looking for other items I may have missed.

You can do the same with build number, asset name, size, and even by author.

There are other ways to search as well including putting in a specific asset name in the search window, or to get more complex, open up the filter and specify parameters, but you don't have to do that just yet. When the time comes, we can help you with that; Just ask.

 

[Twowit2woo]

Using Content Manager, you can sort by upload date, by name, or by any other column by clicking on the column header.
If you haven't already, add in the remaining missing columns by right-clicking on the column header and choose the unchecked columns, one at a time unfortunately, until you've added them all in.
Once added, you can drag them around until you have the order you like and resize them to fit your screen by sliding the small column separator between each column.

Now, for finding content...

I sort by Upload date and it's arranged in descending order so that the oldest content is towards the bottom of my screen. This ensures I get the most recent content rather than older assets I'm not interested in. That doesn't mean that I don't scroll down looking for other items I may have missed.

You can do the same with build number, asset name, size, and even by author.

There are other ways to search as well including putting in a specific asset name in the search window, or to get more complex, open up the filter and specify parameters, but you don't have to do that just yet. When the time comes, we can help you with that; Just ask.

I had no idea I could add columns and sort like that. This is gold dust - thank you!

 

[Twowit2woo]

That depends on your likes and dislikes. Prototypical, Model Railroad, Switching/Shunting, etc. And it also depends on how much time you want to look for, and install, assets.

A good place to start is the Freeware Announcements forum. Look for "Route" posts and then look thru the thread at the reaction/response. A lot of times the creator/author will provide a lot of detail and info about the route and/or where to locate assets. If they are willing to put a lot or work into their post about their route then odds are the route might be a good one. (But no guarantees.)

There's also a lot of threads in the main sections about "favorite routes" "go to routes" "best routes" etc. Search the forums for those posts.

Large prototypical routes are impressive but they can be a headache because they certainly may contain hard to find assets. Some proto routes are "fictional" while others come close to modeling the real thing. For fun sometime checkout "BNSF: Clovis to Lubbock" by maxwerks. When you get the route loaded then get Google Street View on another computer, tablet, phone, etc (or second screen). FInd a common location on both that runs next to the highway. As you run the route compare with the real world in Street View. Now, the buildings will be different ... But... they will match as close as possible and everything will be in proper location. It is amazing. But sometimes you just want to have fun and fictional routes with no rules fills the need. There's something for everyone.

I really appreciate the information. Thanks so much!

 

[pware]

I had no idea I could add columns and sort like that. This is gold dust - thank you!

May I suggest a look through the Trainz Wiki HowTo pages. A wealth of information is there.

In particular, if you are just starting out creating Routes and/or Sessions, then the following pages for starters:-

Route and Session Basics - for creating routes and sessions or just using them​

For Trainz Plus and TRS22 Platinum - Surveyor 2.0 Tools and Palettes​

Using the Unified Driver Surveyor Interface​

Content Manager Status Labels​

​