Vanity Query

[PWeiser]

As a smalltime content creator, I was surprised to find that one of my assets has garnered an unusual number of downloads from DLS (over 2,000 - many more than all my other items that use it combined). I suspect it is being used by (an)other creator(s), which is fine: all my assets are free for any use whatever. However, being just a little vain, here's my question for CMP/DLS query experts:

Is there any way to find (a) all rolling stock on DLS which uses a particular KUID as a dependency, (b) all layouts/sessions which use a particular KUID as a dependency?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[JCitron]

As a smalltime content creator, I was surprised to find that one of my assets has garnered an unusual number of downloads from DLS (over 2,000 - many more than all my other items that use it combined). I suspect it is being used by (an)other creator(s), which is fine: all my assets are free for any use whatever. However, being just a little vain, here's my question for CMP/DLS query experts:

Is there any way to find (a) all rolling stock on DLS which uses a particular KUID as a dependency, (b) all layouts/sessions which use a particular KUID as a dependency?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Peter,

What is the item you are inquiring about? Such things as bogies or pantographs maybe the kinds of things that are used by a(n other) creator or creators for their own assets, I would think.

I'm not sure you can find out which assets use this kuid without downloading everything that would contain it, then looking at the dependent assets in CM. I don't see any interface for that kind of information up on the black-pages DLS website.

It's too bad that we couldn't run an "Asset Count and Usage Report" or something like that.

John

 

[teddytoot]

If I remember correctly, the total displayed includes failed downloads, so I wouldn't attach too much to the difference in numbers. I remember in a couple of instances of items that I uploaded in the past, where two items needed to be downloaded, there were considerable differences between the two parts.

 

[PWeiser]

Thanks, Both

Looks like the answer to both questions is, "No."

(In real life I'm a database programmer specializing in SQL - with access, I could probably write the query in a couple of minutes, including looking up the field names and indices... give it an extra hour if they're actually stored in XML, which seems unlikely. Too much like work, though...)

The idea that the "extra" downloads are due to download failures makes sense; might also be users who have had to (as is so often advised in the "help" forums) re-install and re-download all assets.

[Nevertheless, it would be fun to know if anything I've uploaded is being actively used somewhere, rather than just sitting on a shelf...]

 

[sniper297]

I was wondering the same thing myself the other day, I uploaded a replacement Alco RS3 engine spec that actually works in CAB mode because the default replacement only works in DCC mode. Only 280 downloads for that engine spec, so apparently most Alco drivers use DCC. Curious part is the numbers have to be misleading;

Industrail Alco RSD5 932,<kuid2:522774:1131:1> - 589 downloads
297 Alco RS3 engine spec,<kuid2:522774:100108:1> - 280 downloads

Since that RSD5 is dependent on the engine spec, 309 people are driving that RSD5 without an engine spec?! Or did they download the engine and the spec failed, so they gave up and deleted the engine? Who knows. The bogey that fixed the constantly rotating wheels for the RS1, 2, and 3 was a lot more popular;

297 RS3 rusty bogey,<kuid:522774:100042> - 3098 downloads

None of my RS3 reskins got anywhere close to that number, so they must be using it on other reskins. That's something that's impossible to tell, if someone reskins your model and uploads you can see that - take a look at the numbers for the Downtown Traction reskins of your boxcab and steeplecab locos, and of course those numbers are affected by Phil creating a multiplayer session for Downtown Traction that used some of your originals plus some of my reskins, so anyone who downloaded the session got your poles and pantographs as a side order.

But if somebody downloads a bogey or trolley pole and hacks something else to use it for his own personal use with no intention of sharing, you'll never know about all of those or how many there are.

More examples;

Lighted SD40-2 cab mechanism,<kuid:522774:1075> - 3856 downloads
Lighted SD40-2 cab shell,<kuid:522774:1002> - 3305 downloads

500 some-odd people got the mechanism without the shell, download failure? Or kitbashing using the mechanism with a different shell? 500 is a lot of kitbashers, so I'm more inclined to think it's the former.

297 Bigsteam_Interior_mechanism,<kuid:522774:100103> - 531 downloads
297 Bigsteam interior shell,<kuid:522774:100128> - 299 downloads

Same deal, 200 some-odd people got the mechanism without the shell, or accidentally deleted the mechanism and had to download it again, or something.

Numbers really don't tell you much anyway with the huge vacuum in feedback, my recent route upload got a couple hundred downloads, which means one of two things;

1. 200 people are interested in that kind of route.

2. Some weird teenager in Naperville, Illinois, has too much time on his hands and downloads every new file and deletes it and downloads it again 200 times because he can't find anything good on TV. :hehe:

Feedback, I appreciate your stuff, I'm more of a first generation diesel fanatic than a traction fan, but I do enjoy your sparkling sparkies.