Is there a way to bundle a route with all the rolling stock you care to include and send it to a single cdp which would include every nut and bolt needed to load the route without a single missing asset? Possibly including dlc and built-in objects? I understand some content may be broken 10 years from now, and most likely will be, but at least EVERYTHING would be there, repairable or not.
Virtual Train Set
- Thread starter rick1958
- Start date
...and that's where the problem comes in. Your boxcar needs an asset that WAS only available on a third party site which no longer exists or a tree that WAS available in last years addition of Trainz and is now gone this year. Maybe N3V should start working on fixing and adding some bells and whistles like this instead of new releases. I'd pay a couple bucks for a utilty to do that. It would be so nice to have an entire route on a single or multiple CDs. I know there's no shortage of ideas on the Suggestion Boxcar. Some seems like relative easy fixes, some not so easy.
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But with your plan if you had 20 routes that all used the same loco that loco would be in all 20 sessions and take up 20 times the disk. Then if bad you'd have to fix 20 assets instead of just the one. The fact the asset is separate and referenced/called for by the session is not the problem. And CD's? New computers don't even have CD drives any more and if you did have what you wished for the CD would become unusable one scratched. We only remember the good... we don't remember the bad.
Ok... I guess I'm like a dog with a bone, but I questioned this 2 years ago and the subject kind'a just died.
So... Let me attack this a differnt way...
If I put all my custom content on a board and saved as a cdp, what would be saved, and what would be skipped? AND, the items skipped... there's no "work around" to save them?
I'm assuming the same rules and restrictions would follow through when saving a route?
Something just seems wrong. If I buy a game...any game... and install it, everything is there without having to go around downloading...IF... the content even still exists.
Enlighten me.
So... Let me attack this a differnt way...
If I put all my custom content on a board and saved as a cdp, what would be saved, and what would be skipped? AND, the items skipped... there's no "work around" to save them?
I'm assuming the same rules and restrictions would follow through when saving a route?
Something just seems wrong. If I buy a game...any game... and install it, everything is there without having to go around downloading...IF... the content even still exists.
Enlighten me.
You can export all of your routes components, @rick1958, but to multiple CDP's >>> a main route CDP, then any non-DLS assets on another CDP, then 1st level dependencies to a 3rd, 2nd level dependencies to a 4th.Ok... I guess I'm like a dog with a bone, but I questioned this 2 years ago and the subject kind'a just died.
So... Let me attack this a differnt way...
If I put all my custom content on a board and saved as a cdp, what would be saved, and what would be skipped? AND, the items skipped... there's no "work around" to save them?
I'm assuming the same rules and restrictions would follow through when saving a route?
Something just seems wrong. If I buy a game...any game... and install it, everything is there without having to go around downloading...IF... the content even still exists.
Enlighten me.
Locos and rolling stock the same way, export all to 1 cdp, then any libraries, bogeys, engine specs, and so on.
You can export the route and any sessions into the 1st Main CDP, then split off all the route stuff, and all session stuff.
It's the way we've been doing it since forever ago.
Rico
Thanks for that Rico, just a curiousity, but why multiple cdp's? Simply due to the size?You can export all of your routes components, @rick1958, but to multiple CDP's >>> a main route CDP, then any non-DLS assets on another CDP, then 1st level dependencies to a 3rd, 2nd level dependencies to a 4th.
Locos and rolling stock the same way, export all to 1 cdp, then any libraries, bogeys, engine specs, and so on.
You can export the route and any sessions into the 1st Main CDP, then split off all the route stuff, and all session stuff.
It's the way we've been doing it since forever ago.
Rico
Because when you export your route, CM only exports the route. Nothing else.
You then have to show dependencies in CM, for the route. Sort them by type, and then export in groups.
CM won't export dependencies, 1st, 2nd, 3rd level, libraries, all that needs to be exported in separate CDP's. Well, if you have all the deps showing in CM you CAN export all the root level deps in one CDP.
Export all the locally modified assets to one CDP, then all DLS stuff, then Built-ins.
A session exports with all locos, rolling stock, signal and switch settings, A.I. commands, session rules etc.
If you, for example, highlight all the main deps in CM, then right-clik > show dependencies, you'll have all the 1st level deps in a new window, which you can export in one CDP, and so on.
Exporting to smaller CDP's which are organized by type, i.e. Locally Modified, External deps (from the web) and whatever other category you want to use, allows you to manage everything better.
If you need to use the CDP's at some point, then you'll know where any particular sub-set is.
If you've ever downloaded any routes/sessions from TrainzItalia, that's how they're organized.
The Rollins Pass Winter 1910 is in many parts.
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Many years ago we tried packaging a route (I do not remember if it was the original West from Denver or the Sherman Hill) and all of the dedicated assets for that route (the rest of them were either built-in or from the DLS). Unfortunately, we ended up with a really huge (several GBs) file that became unmanageable: it took many hours to package (I remember watching the CM wondering if it was still working), it was a pain to send to the beta testers, requiring the use of WeTransfer or similar providers and, finally, our web hosting service refused to upload it, thinking it was a pirate copy of some movie.
In the first version of the Rollins Pass we released some years ago we tried to make as few CDPs as possible, but they were so big that many users had issues downloading them, so the last version consists of many smaller files.
@rick1958 Including the built-in/packaged/payware files in a CDP will result in the assets being faulty if you load them somewhere else. You can make the "trainset CDP" as long as you stick to built-in assets.
Thanks for that Rico... It sounds VERY time consuming. It just seems there should be an easier way but, as they say, it is what it is..
Yes. It is a chore. When I finish an MRR route, I have to go through an do this for all the Non DLS stuff.
It's so annoying, LOL.
From what I understand, the "packaged" stuff is always a pain. Download, or worse purchase, an entire route just to get one item you may be missing? Seems this part of Trainz could really use a make-over. And then theres having to spend a day tracking down content from private sites. I wonder if some type of "Co-op" would work? For instance, you can include my content in your routes if you agree to do the same. I suppose uploading to the DLS is basically the same thing.
@rick1958 >>>
When I'm building a route, I always have payware - off ticked in the search filter, to avoid that situation as much as possible.
As I go along, I will check the dependencies list for packaged assets and add them to an asset list I keep in Notepad Plus.
I also keep a list of non-DLS stuff as well. Saves time.
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The problem is that route builders might use content that fits what they want without thinking about the downloaders who might have 20 or more unknowns and sometimes Google and even kuid index can't find them or they come from payware routes that the route builder has but the downloaders might not have. Like there were missing RoysTrainz and tume assets that can't be found in some routes I downloaded and it seems that they might be packaged assets in payware N3V routes possibly by the same authors. But how do you find out what routes they are?
@ricomon35 - "Because when you export your route, CM only exports the route. Nothing else."
Can I assume it will at least look for, and download DSL content like any other newly installed route?
Can I assume it will at least look for, and download DSL content like any other newly installed route?