Why do so few routes make it to the DLS ?

[hotgrove]

Just perusing through screenshots and it occurred to me that there are many really good routes around, but sadly , the vast majority of these routes never make it to the DLS . Just out of curiosity , whats the reason why so many able route makers never put these routes up on the DLS ?
Is it because you are using third party assets?
The route is third party and you've modified it ?
You've modified others assets and cant get permission to upload them to DLS ?
is your route a constant WIP ?
Are your standards so high that you don't think its good enough for public scrutiny ?
Is it because its just too much hassle ?
Lack of appreciation from other users when its uploaded ?
Changes in Trainz build means its no longer usable ?

All of the above ?

Usually still a constant WIP.
Route building is a lengthy process and during that time the version of trainz i'm using is getting older at an alarming rate ( i'm still in TANE )

I will say right now i haven't got a clue about missing deps and all the other technical stuff that trainz brings.
It's a game to me and i just want to have fun building routes which i admit will never see the DLS because i just don't know what problems they will bring to other trainz users if they download it.

I have my own style of route building as far as the operational side is concerned which works fine for me but i think many would discard it.

For once i managed to achieve a finished project that i thought was worthy of upload even if it was in my style.
It was a model rail basement layout which i spent so much time on and not just with the route but with the space it was housed in.

I never had so much fun just watching the trains roll in and out of stations ( 8 trains running at once and to eternity)
I say eternity because none of my trains can 'see' each other.....there are a number of signals on my layout but my trains can't see them either.....scenery items no less......with 8 trains running at once there are many instances of them running through each other but once again this works for me.

Much to my horror just as i was about to upload, the route was gone which i still haven't came to terms with.

 

[epa]

Well in my case, the route's just never done. I post screenshots of the sections that are done enough to hide the unfinished parts.

The other thing is that people tend to use scenery items that are custom made and/or aren't publicly available, or are part of paid DLC packs. One other reply brought up the fact that different editions of Trainz include different content, like free DLC that is not included in the base game. Not everybody has the same content, and the dependency hunt is a real pain if the route author used any content that's not on the DLS, or hidden on some obscure site in another language that you have to create an account to download from... you get it.

And of course, some of these routes just take time. Several of us here have route projects that have been ongoing for years.

Like you, I wish there were more high-quality routes available on the DLS, but in the end it creates a nightmare for the creator and those that download it.

Matt

 

[pware]

And of course, some of these routes just take time. Several of us here have route projects that have been ongoing for years.

I hear that. My current project was supposed to be finished sometime in 2022. It now looks like 2025 (at least).

 

[Forester1]

And then there are those that spend years working on their route, turn out a quality product, and then get complaints because it takes some money and work to get DLC or third-party assets. Some folks are never happy, and the route creators have to grow a thick skin to ignore the whiners who can just skip the route if they don't like it. Complaining is not needed. Then the route builders stop contributing because they feel unappreciated after spending all those years at it.

 

[Dinorius_Redundicus]

Spare a thought for Michael Sutton (sirgibby) who has been working 6 days per week for at least 7 years updating Murchison 2 to Murchison 3. It seems to be a living example of Zeno’s Achilles paradox.

 

[dangavel]

Given that I am now in my 70s and seeing we have recently lost two great route makers who put all their work to the DLS,-both who were in the same age bracket and both within unfinished routes , to avoid my work ( such as it is ) never seeing the light of day, Ive adoped a different strategy.

What I now tend to do is , get the route about 80- 90% complete so anything that's incomplete isn't that obvious to the average user and then upload it to the DLS. I add the proviso that anyone else can finish it and upload it in the event of my death .

The route is able to be run and most users would be able to complete the unfinished portions, the big problem when routes take many years to finish is that the game moves on and what might have been the state of the art will after five or so years, possibly look pretty ordinary,will miss some items that have become obsolete due to Nv3 changing which assets are part of the build or would need a lot of work to get it up to date.

Its not ideal, but I'd hate to have worked on a route for several years only to have it lost because I suddenly snuff it.

 

[grazlash]

I'd love to be able to upload my current WIP to the DLS, but the sheer size of the thing precludes that. Lithgow to Parkes and Dubbo via Orange = 1.76 GB at the moment and it's around 35% complete. It will still be freeware and though we will need somewhere to host it, that is a problem for another day.

 

[dangavel]

I'd love to be able to upload my current WIP to the DLS, but the sheer size of the thing precludes that. Lithgow to Parkes and Dubbo via Orange = 1.76 GB at the moment and it's around 35% complete. It will still be freeware and though we will need somewhere to host it, that is a problem for another day.

Might it be possible to release it in sections on the DLS , then users could merge them all back together ( not too onerous if you are using 2022 and utilize the bulk board deletion tool. )? Or chose to just use the bits that appeal. I must admit I no longer do routes that are much more than 30 miles, although having said that, I've extended both the last two routes I've done by about 10 miles or more. I do not always practice what I preach

 

[Cayden]

My route at 5.83 GB can't be uploaded to the download station (DLS). Perhaps it is time we had a site where new high density (HD) routes textured with physically based rendering (PBR) textures can be posted.

Cayden

 

[martinvk]

Maybe Tony Hilliam should take some tips to improve Trainz. I hate having to hunt down even 20 missing kuid's and a few of them aren't found by even kuid finder and I have no idea what they are, a track, road, a building. I don't know when I'll get 22 or subscribe to get the better Surveyor. I have TANE and TRS2019 right now and I was just having issues with a new second install of 2019 with broken and missing assets but I fixed it. The assets weren't really broken, my Trainz was acting up. I reinstalled it and rebooted the PC and it seems to be ok now.

Not sure how Tony could help if the creator of a route uses objects from third party sites. If said creator doesn't clearly indicate where those objects came from and that they are freely available to anyone then there is not anything that N3V can do about it.

Further to the OP's question, most of my routes are WIP and never really finish. They are mainly created for my enjoyment and I do like to continually tinker with them. Plus I tend to make things on-the-fly as it were to solve a local issue in the route and those objects are not on the DLS. Good enough for my needs but not really quality objects with all the latest bells and whistles.

I have also on occasion gone to a few Dutch sites for specific objects native to the Netherlands so those routes would be automatically off my list for uploading. And then I tend to use them everywhere, being too lazy to find appropriate objects, so again not uploadable. Doesn't leave much to uplaod.

 

[JimDep]

Further to the OP's question, most of my routes are WIP and never really finish. They are mainly created for my enjoyment and I do like to continually tinker with them. Plus I tend to make things on-the-fly as it were to solve a local issue in the route and those objects are not on the DLS. Good enough for my needs but not really quality objects with all the latest bells and whistles.

Yes, that's been my situation for years.

 

[paulzmay]

Speaking for myself - I bit off more than I could chew, and have been mostly working on the same route for over 15 years. I've done some releases of sections of the route, but this always seems to be a lot of effort. I would upload another WIP now that all the trackwork is done, but it reliably crashes after a couple of minutes, so I can't really test it or complete setting up the session.

 

[Ghostryder]

I have been working on a route for a few years and have been through a few issues that have slowed it down life for one but i have undergone computer issues hardware issues moving house moving state my health played up i had bypass surgery and recently a stroke but there were a few who couldnt understand the delays and demanded that if i wasnt gonna complete it to hand it over to someone that might. When i refused to do it the way they wanted i came under a barrage of abuse and crap which has only made my decision easier i am still working on it but as my health and time permits.

 

[WestSideRailways]

The only way to get a decent route is to make it yourself......

 

[Railwoodman]

I also have been working a route . Or routes for years . Because I will never consider them finished , I did upload . But then you get all the question of why you didn't do this or that . Those who do turn out good work . I've often wonder if they sleep .

My 2 cents

Matt

 

[lewisner]

For my main route it was not built using DEM and is at the wrong elevation . I altered the trackside values of some signals when that was possible and it includes some buildings which were built for me by another trainzer but have not been put on the DLS. The large towns at either end are unfinished and I've not created any sessions nor do I know how to.

 

[rick1958]

Yes, that's been my situation for years.

Exactly. To me at least, it's more like having a physical layout at home. You're not going to package it up and share it. Several years ago @Shortline2 (Linda) got me into making Gmax content. I often wish I would have kept with it and made an entire route of one-of-a-kind content, again, like a physical layout would be, then share screenshots on the forum like paging through Model Railroader. Unfortunately, it's not like riding bike. I'd have to start fresh and re-learn it all over again. Too old... too tired... and too lazy.

 

[OldGI]

Sadly, this packaging thing is becoming an issue. I mainly use payware routes and have TS22 plus. My personal routes would be a pain for someone to load.

Second, this plays on the first part of this post. If someone buys a version of this program, buys the DLC they enjoy and takes countless hours to build and upload a route, the end user has no justification to complain.

I don't like the direction they are going with the subscription method. But, I see too many posts about freeware routes with payware assets. They expect the builder to spoon feed them everything for free.

Pretty harsh on the ones who do upload routes. It's not their job to provide your entertainment for free. Pony up a few bucks to support the hobby or shut up.

Sorry, this is just a sore spot for me.

 

[Lewiscc65]

I have been working on an update to my "TRS-22 Lewis-Logman Transport" to add an electric train and in the process, I have made some other changes. Which lead to more changes. I want to upload it but every time I open it, I fine something that needs fixing. I feel it has been a year since I posted that I would upload this new version, lol. I may just bite the bullet and upload it.

 

[fant_autentico]

Like everyone else, I have several routes in a constant process of construction, which means that sometimes years go by without me touching them, and I don't think it's elegant to publish routes that are not moderately developed.
On the other hand, the DLS does not seem to me to be the Holy Grail of Trainz because it is owned by a private company and they have a tendency to change owners, go bankrupt or complicate the user's life. What will happen to my TRS2019 if the company disappears and the DRM cannot be verified?. What if they decide to charge for everything? So far we have "only" suffered from the very low download speed, so installing a DLS route becomes very complicated.
In my case I am always creating items that I then publish on my website and therefore I am not at all unsupportive, it is my way of contributing to the world of Trainz. I only believe that "you can't put all your eggs in the same basket".

I'm not saying that people don't upload things to the DLS, I have some myself. Not long ago I decided that if I publish a route I will include all my dependencies in the download package of my website and the rest of them I will try to make them DLS (for the time being); on the "Madrid-Barcelona-Dakar Rally" route I have acted like this.
Of course I appreciate the work of those who upload items to the DLS and we probably wouldn't have gotten this far without it, but times change sometimes for the worse.

Regards