That Confounded BLINDING Yellow Compass
- Thread starter cascaderailroad
- Start date
cascaderailroad
New member
God has spoken
Well ... Then let it be said ... it Kant be done !
Well ... Then let it be said ... it Kant be done !
I find the compass very helpful when I'm working on a route and it's no more annoying than those spline point circles IMHO. They're both just tools to assist the builder. They don't show up in Driver, so I'm at a loss to understand what the objection to it is. Doesn't really matter though. If N3V wants to change it they will, if not, they won't. I'd suggest asking in the suggestion box forum.
Mike
Mike
cascaderailroad
New member
That will take years to implement ... and most likely will be poo-poo-ed and shot down ... and if it is implemented, it will be in the year 2014, the next version of Trainz !
I want to change it NOW ... not next year, and for use immediately on my own personal route.
Surel coloring the compass is not that big of a deal, and not too technical to accomplish.
I want to change it NOW ... not next year, and for use immediately on my own personal route.
Surel coloring the compass is not that big of a deal, and not too technical to accomplish.
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It is if it's coded internally and I seriously doubt they are going to change it imediately for one person.............. :hehe: Are you using 640 by 480 resolution or something? and have a very large compass?
Maybe use sunglasses? Or if you seriously find it blinding, get your eyesight checked, as it's definitely not blinding to me.
Maybe use sunglasses? Or if you seriously find it blinding, get your eyesight checked, as it's definitely not blinding to me.
cascaderailroad
New member
I am asking for the code line that can be changed, not for stupid sunglasses, I want to make the compass Gray, or obliterated completly.
Whether anyone else just loves the blinding yellow compass, or finds it a handy dandy Kool Device, does not concern me, whether they find it non-blinding.
I do not want to see the compass ! Or I want to re-colour it Gray.
I am not expecting them to change it for me ... I want to change it myself on my own PC.
And the only person who knows how to do it is dummying up, saying he doesn't support code changes.
What code line tells the compass to be yellow ?
Whether anyone else just loves the blinding yellow compass, or finds it a handy dandy Kool Device, does not concern me, whether they find it non-blinding.
I do not want to see the compass ! Or I want to re-colour it Gray.
I am not expecting them to change it for me ... I want to change it myself on my own PC.
And the only person who knows how to do it is dummying up, saying he doesn't support code changes.
What code line tells the compass to be yellow ?
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Not that simple.
Seriously, it's not likely to be in the ja files which are mainly for content.
You are probably looking at altering compiled exe and dll files, for which there will not be an editable line of code.
In reality, the compass should be a user color select. By this you can contrast it against a texture. if you have, lets say a yellow texture, is hard to see the compass. Of curse you go into "grid" mode and no texture: you can see the compass, but sometimes over or surrounded by splines, the yellow compass is hard to see. I hope creators take note of what is said here.
norfolksouthern37
what's a normal map?
no, it is in the data.ja file, problem is, i dont want to be held responsible for anyone breaking their stuff, and 007007 doesnt either. also if you break anything you cant blame N3V for it. if you want to venture out on your own, check google, you can certainly find what you need to do it there. just be sure to make a backup of that file, in case anything goes wrong, and in case a future patch requires it.
cascaderailroad
New member
WoW ... I like the Blue one, and the nifty outlined spline point circles ... if that is only in TS12 ... I'm getting that version !
Ever notice that when you read the dirrections on a package of food, the print is in Teeny Weeny microprint, and all Tall & Squeeshed font, and is in uncomplimentary colors, like yellow printing on an orange background.
Ever notice that when you read the dirrections on a package of food, the print is in Teeny Weeny microprint, and all Tall & Squeeshed font, and is in uncomplimentary colors, like yellow printing on an orange background.
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norfolksouthern37
what's a normal map?
no, it isnt in TS12... well the screenshot was, but i modified the files in data.ja.
Retro00064
New member
The compass does have texture files, and they and the default "clickety-clack" sounds are in the data.ja file in UTC, if I remember correctly, along with lots more of the internal textures (in fact, I likely could have made myself a custom look-and-feel for the Trainz user interface if I had wanted to! 
). So no, it is not hard-coded in to the game. 
I have a set of two programs: one for extracting .ja archives, and one for making them. I got them off of the Internet a while back, and do not remember where I got them from (though it was some foreign-language site, if I remember correctly). They work just fine with UTC's .ja files, but it appears that the .ja format changed with TRS2004, for the programs did not really work on the .ja file for PaintShed content (if I remember correctly 
) that is in my TRS2004 installation. I do not think that I tried it on TRS2004's data.ja file, though. I will transfer the two programs for .ja files to this current computer from my "former" Trainz computer sometime soon anyway, so I can try them on TRS2004's data.ja file and see if it works. I do not have TRS2006, so I would have no clue if they would work with its .ja files.
The .ja ("Jet Archive") files in Trainz installations were not intended to be modified, so doing so would be totally unsupported by Auran/N3V; do so at your own risk! The data.ja file contains internal configuration files for Trainz (at least in UTC, that is) as well as textures! Make sure that you keep a backup of the original .ja file before making any changes!
By the way, very nice custom compass and spline circles, NS37.
Regards.
). So no, it is not hard-coded in to the game. I have a set of two programs: one for extracting .ja archives, and one for making them. I got them off of the Internet a while back, and do not remember where I got them from (though it was some foreign-language site, if I remember correctly). They work just fine with UTC's .ja files, but it appears that the .ja format changed with TRS2004, for the programs did not really work on the .ja file for PaintShed content (if I remember correctly ) that is in my TRS2004 installation. I do not think that I tried it on TRS2004's data.ja file, though. I will transfer the two programs for .ja files to this current computer from my "former" Trainz computer sometime soon anyway, so I can try them on TRS2004's data.ja file and see if it works. I do not have TRS2006, so I would have no clue if they would work with its .ja files.The .ja ("Jet Archive") files in Trainz installations were not intended to be modified, so doing so would be totally unsupported by Auran/N3V; do so at your own risk! The data.ja file contains internal configuration files for Trainz (at least in UTC, that is) as well as textures! Make sure that you keep a backup of the original .ja file before making any changes!
By the way, very nice custom compass and spline circles, NS37.
Regards.
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cascaderailroad
New member
Wht program decrypts the ja files ?
Qute alot of it is gibberish charators ... and very little is readable print.
Qute alot of it is gibberish charators ... and very little is readable print.
Nothing to decrypt. The file is in semi-binary format. That means that visual data is represented by binary values. You will get the same if you look at a JPG file in a text editor. You will also get the same results if you CHANGE a JPG file with a hex editor - garbage (or, at best, a blotch in the picture where the changed area is). The format for a JA file is proprietary to Auran/N3V and I doubt they would support a modified file.
Bill
cascaderailroad
New member
Well I know of at least 2 people, who have found the line to change, or the location of the texture to re-color.
So the Compass color is changable ... PM me with details, as it seems no one wants to give out specific details on the forum ... or all these people commenting, just do not know how to change the color, or are blindly assuming, and accepting that it can not be done.
In Keyboard Surveyor commands ... is it possible to create a new line to turn on/off the Compass ?
What is the correct name of the Compass ... Cursor ... Tooltip ... Blinding Thingy ... What is the Compass called ?
So the Compass color is changable ... PM me with details, as it seems no one wants to give out specific details on the forum ... or all these people commenting, just do not know how to change the color, or are blindly assuming, and accepting that it can not be done.
In Keyboard Surveyor commands ... is it possible to create a new line to turn on/off the Compass ?
What is the correct name of the Compass ... Cursor ... Tooltip ... Blinding Thingy ... What is the Compass called ?
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norfolksouthern37
what's a normal map?
Its called 3d compass.tga or somethnig along those lines, you cant change it without getting all of the files out of the. Ja file.
The problem I have is the bloody thing gets in the way when I want to zoom in close to fix something.
The color is a bit on the obnoxiously bright side. Perhaps if in some future release, like TS2014 or whatever it'll be called, we could have a cursor color setting as well a size setting like "regular" and "small"
John
The color is a bit on the obnoxiously bright side. Perhaps if in some future release, like TS2014 or whatever it'll be called, we could have a cursor color setting as well a size setting like "regular" and "small"
John
Shortline2
Joined: 28th Oct. 2002
Hi,
Not sure how useful this is for the situation as described, but up till TS12 came along I have for screenshots and close up looks used the trick which was taken into a useless thing in TS12.
I posted this elsewhere:
To temporarily turn of that compass in TRS2006, hold down the ALT button and either write FLY or WALK.
Or, maybe it was there they already change the key to just U or Y.
Try ALT+FLY (if it don't work, use ALT+U) to have a nice fly around view with no compass or anything in the way except the scenes.
Or, ALT+WALK (if it don't work, use ALT+Y) to have a nice walk around on the surface of the grid, still no compass to annoy you.
It works in newer versions also, except TS12, there it is broken as a useful thing.
Take care
Linda
Not sure how useful this is for the situation as described, but up till TS12 came along I have for screenshots and close up looks used the trick which was taken into a useless thing in TS12.
I posted this elsewhere:
To temporarily turn of that compass in TRS2006, hold down the ALT button and either write FLY or WALK.
Or, maybe it was there they already change the key to just U or Y.
Try ALT+FLY (if it don't work, use ALT+U) to have a nice fly around view with no compass or anything in the way except the scenes.
Or, ALT+WALK (if it don't work, use ALT+Y) to have a nice walk around on the surface of the grid, still no compass to annoy you.
It works in newer versions also, except TS12, there it is broken as a useful thing.
Take care
Linda