Proposal: UI Lockout for DRM-Protected Content in Content Manager

[jwyant01]

If Content Manager already blocks actions like cloning, exporting, or editing DRM-locked built-in/payware assets, then the UI should reflect that by graying out the following options:

Clone
Export to CDP
Open for Editing
Open in Explorer
Edit Config File Text
Edit Primary Script
Edit Asset in Surveyor
View Errors and Warnings (yes, even this—if you can’t edit it, why review its errors?)

The following options should remain active:​

Preview Asset
List Dependencies
List Dependencies Recursively
List Dependants
List Asset Versions
List Assets in New Window
Add to Pick List
If the system says “you can’t,” then the UI should say it too. Anything less is misleading.

This isn’t about restricting users—it’s about respecting creators and enforcing the boundaries that already exist. When the UI presents options that silently fail or throw vague errors, it:

• Creates confusion
• Undermines DRM enforcement
• Breaks multiplayer integrity

That’s not a feature. That’s a failure to follow through.

Calling it “working as intended” is a cop-out. This isn’t about rewriting DRM—it’s about aligning the interface with the rules it’s supposed to enforce. That’s not a massive overhaul. That’s basic UX hygiene.
Some have said it’s up to content creators to decide whether their assets can be opened for editing—via packaging or encryption. That’s fine in theory.

But if the system already blocks cloning and exporting DRM-locked content, and the UI still shows those options as active, then the platform itself is sending mixed signals.

Even if payware encrypted content can be cloned or exported, it’s unusable. So why present those options at all?

If the backend enforces the lock, the frontend should reflect it. Anything else is lazy implementation.

My final thoughts is this. If you purchase content from sites like Jointed Rail or RRMods, the listed options should not be grayed out once installed to your database. This includes any freeware content that exists outside the DRM protection system used for built-in/payware assets.

This proposal isn’t about limiting creativity—it’s about clarifying boundaries, protecting creators, and making Trainz more intuitive and consistent for everyone.


The items I'm suggesting to be locked out from being edited since they are built-in assets are as follows:
Built-in locomotives
Rolling stock
Scenery assets (buildings, trees, signals, etc.)
Payware content

The things that shouldn't be locked out are:

• Built-in rules and scripts like Driver Setup, Navigation Display, Schedule Library, etc.
• These are system-level logic assets, often meant to be extended, studied, or used as templates.
• Allowing users to open these (read-only or in a sandboxed view) supports:
  • Learning how to script
  • Creating custom rules or behaviors
  • Expanding the ecosystem without compromising original assets

 

[grazlash]

I'm all for things that make the game better, but this would be a waste of a programmers time that could be better spent building a new skybox for an example.

 

[pware]

If Content Manager already blocks actions like cloning, exporting, or editing DRM-locked built-in/payware assets

Content Manager currently allows you to clone and edit payware (DLC) assets, provided they have not been locked by the content creator, and you can also clone and edit built-in assets.

View Errors and Warnings (yes, even this—if you can’t edit it, why review its errors?)

If any asset regardless of where it has come from (DLS, DLC, Built-in, etc) contains errors then you should be able to view those errors so they can be, at the very least, reported to N3V QA. Since you can clone most or all of these assets then viewing the errors could help you fix them.

 

[wreeder]

I think this is a "worth considering" suggestion. It should be in the Suggestion forum BTW. I'm not sure what you mean by "Edit in Surveyor". What you can change in Surveyor are the properties of an asset and those changes are in the session file itself not to the asset so it doesn't make any difference to the status of the asset. Perhaps, click the Report link at the bottom of your post to ask the mods to move the thread to the Suggestion forum. Often time the mods will push a worthwhile suggestion up to the team.

 

[sw1500]

What you can change in Surveyor are the properties of an asset and those changes are in the session file itself not to the asset so it doesn't make any difference to the status of the asset.

Actually, some DLC routes are so locked that you can't even create a session for them. I have tried to make a session for Coal Country, and it will not save just the session. Instead, it forces me to save a new route and session.

 

[JCitron]

Actually, some DLC routes are so locked that you can't even create a session for them. I have tried to make a session for Coal Country, and it will not save just the session. Instead, it forces me to save a new route and session.

That's actually a good thing. I've taken a session and did a Save-as. This created a new session and a copy of the route as intended. I was then able to edit the session how I wanted and had all the configurations already set up.

Some have said it’s up to content creators to decide whether their assets can be opened for editing—via packaging or encryption. That’s fine in theory.

Tony Hilliam, the CEO and president of N3V told us this, not some have said. The option is there when packaging a route for distribution through the store. It's up to the content creator to determine if the route will be locked or not.

I inquired about merging and was told that's impossible due to the route being locked. My answer to that was to restrict the use of the content. The merged content, including the portion from the route could be flagged with a container and some tags placed in the config.txt file indicating that there is DLC included with the route. If the route is uploaded, or a portion of this merged route is uploaded, then anyone who downloads this segment or merged route will still require the original be installed on the system. I was ignored after that with no other answer or response.

The other issue we've come across, which requires N3V to do some backend work on the DLS, is DLS assets end up in the encrypted DLC packages. I proposed a more granular approach to allow content creators to select only the route, session, and proprietary content and not lockdown DLS content. I was told that this is due to the all-inclusive nature of the packaging system and unfortunately there doesn't seem to be much concern or impetus to change this and instead when content is locked, that used to be on the DLS, users need to report this to the helpdesk to get this unlocked. We were also told that the content is packaged to create a single download, not requiring a First-Class Ticket to obtain the DLC package.

I agree that scripts shouldn't be encrypted. This has made futureproofing and updating older scripts very difficult for the Content Repair Group who is responsible for updating content on the DLS. With many content creators now passing over the rainbow bridge, and many others who have moved on due to other reasons, having access to the original code is made difficult. The scripts can be decrypted by N3V, however, but that adds an additional step and creates yet another delay to repairing the content.

The other issue with encrypted scripts is that content creators have created their own version of the encrypted scripts. Multiple versions of a similar script then make maintaining content difficult due to the similar nature, and to make matters worse these scripts introduce more errors in the program.

I agree that unusable features should be unavailable, but getting any kind of UI changes done is absolutely worse than fighting red tape. Things are sometimes taken into consideration and may or may never be implemented. We were lucky to have relocatable data folders, UDS, layers, as well as some of the new features now found in S2.0. The recent things, however, took more than two decades to appear.

As was mentioned, you may want to have this thread moved to the Suggestion Boxcar where this thread will receive more eyes including those from N3V. You may be lucky.