routes on the DLS

One thing that would help is if it were possible to access a readme that is visible without having to download the route and open the folder in Content Manager, to find. A detailed document describing the route, the research that went into creating it and indeed any compromises to get it working is a fair indication some care has gone into the project itself. The current thumbnail and short text field is inadequate, particularly when trying to describe a complex prototype.

What doesn't help either is N3V not supporting some sort of limited in forum image hosting as many people - even accomplished route builders - can't be fussed to start messing about with third party hosting and trying to get complex links working. I'm sure it wouldn't break the bank to give a few Mb of image space where pictures of WIP or complete routes could be deposited and swapped out as necessary.
 
martinvk said:
I thought that that was what one of the functions of the screen shots forum was? And then when the route is released, the Freeware-announcements forum was the place to announce it.

Perhaps if route creators can't be bothered to use these N3V provided resources, their routes could just be ignored.
Click to expand...

But these (screenshots) still have to be hosted externally, yes? Which usually involves wading through a minefield of carp and misleading links even on the reputable hosting sites. A couple of times I used my own site to post a description of a route project, or the facilities at Trainsim Dev. Maybe it is something that could be offered to FCT holders (most route builders usually are) to sweeten the deal?
 
AFAIK, the ISP that provides the users email address also provides space to host a website, enough to host some images. At least my ISP does, YMMV.
And then there is the Trainz Gallary. It could be used to post route images that could be linked to in forum messages.
 
Vern said:
But these (screenshots) still have to be hosted externally, yes? Which usually involves wading through a minefield of carp and misleading links even on the reputable hosting sites. A couple of times I used my own site to post a description of a route project, or the facilities at Trainsim Dev. Maybe it is something that could be offered to FCT holders (most route builders usually are) to sweeten the deal?
Click to expand...

Always the Trainz Gallery. Dead easy in Firefox right click on image, copy image location, In forum click insert image and paste.

External hosting is easier if post multiple screen shots though, as depending on where hosted you can post multiple images in one go.

Adding attachments to this forum with large screenshot images would probably overload the forums server, which presumably is why the Gallery is on a separate one and often the reason forums don't directly host images.
 
ingha said:
Im sure most people are aware of this already, but if you use the download station and click 'Download details' on any route...
ingha
Click to expand...

I wish, for a start, that routes would be clearly marked as such on DLS. Several times, I have thought I was downloading a building or other feature and discovered I had received a route that I didn't want.
 
rhban said:
I wish, for a start, that routes would be clearly marked as such on DLS. Several times, I have thought I was downloading a building or other feature and discovered I had received a route that I didn't want.
Click to expand...

Routes are identified as 'Route' and have their own icon - it is difficult to imagine how they could be more clearly identified.
 
On the Web based DLS, you simply select Category = Layouts and then click Search.

On the CM based DLS, you simply set the Filter to Category = Routes

As SailorDan points out, it is difficult to imagine how this could be made simpler.
 
rhban was looking for a building, not a route.

There are routes in CM that are marked as 'Misc', I have started to download what I thought was a building but when I realised that it was a route being downloaded (by the number of assets) I cancelled the download.
 
euromodeller said:
rhban was looking for a building, not a route.

There are routes in CM that are marked as 'Misc', I have started to download what I thought was a building but when I realised that it was a route being downloaded (by the number of assets) I cancelled the download.
Click to expand...

I wonder if this is an affect of them being created on the mobile platform.
 
How to make a route downloadable to someone else???

As far as empty routes are concerned, Maybe they are like me and are very confused about how to share a route. I have been working on a route for TANE SP2 Mac version, now for months. it is not perfect, has errors in it, it will run, it is fairly huge. I would like for someone else to have a chance to run it and give me some feed back, but like I said, I don't know how to make it available to anyone and find the available help very confusing. Every time I search anything how to do it, I come up empty! If someone could give the proper way to do it, it would be greatly appreciated !


plummjk
 
Last edited:
In CM, highlight the route and any sessions, then save as a CDP file. This can then be shared with others to try and test. As long as you only use objects from the DLS, others will be able to download those objects they don't already have. If any are built-in, those with the same version of Trainz will not have any problems. If the CDP file is too big to send by email, you might need to use a hosting service where others can download from. (Dropbox, WeTransfer, Google Docs, etc)

Dumping incomplete routes on the DLS is really not nice for others who might download them thinking they are ready for prime time.
 
martinvk said:
In CM, highlight the route and any sessions, then save as a CDP file. This can then be shared with others to try and test. As long as you only use objects from the DLS, others will be able to download those objects they don't already have. If any are built-in, those with the same version of Trainz will not have any problems. If the CDP file is too big to send by email, you might need to use a hosting service where others can download from. (Dropbox, WeTransfer, Google Docs, etc)
Click to expand...

Sounds interesting, but what is a CDP file?
 
rhban said:
Sounds interesting, but what is a CDP file?
Click to expand...

CDP files are how Trainz assets are distributed. When you download an asset from the DLS it comes to your computer as a .cdp file which is then unpacked (much like a .zip file) and the asset (or assets) it contains are then installed into your version of Trainz.

When you upload an asset to the DLS it is packaged as a CDP file and uploaded.

You can create your own CDP files in Content Manager by selecting the asset(s), right mouse clicking and selecting "Export to CDP" from the menu.
 
SailorDan said:
Routes are identified as 'Route' and have their own icon - it is difficult to imagine how they could be more clearly identified.
Click to expand...
Not sure how you access DLS. I only use it when route building - I go back to the launch window, click on Manage Content (or is it Content Manager) and go to Downloads. Routes are not marked in any way differently from anything else. Of course, I can go to Routes & Sessions if that is what I want, but plain Downloads includes everything.
 
Thanks for the information. Maybe one day I'll feel brave enough to make one of my routes public, but usually once I (almost) finished a route, I lose interest because some new idea has struck. I'm into Trainz purely for the fun (and frustration) of creating routes. Once they're there, they're not interesting.
 
rhban said:
Routes are not marked in any way differently from anything else. Of course, I can go to Routes & Sessions if that is what I want, but plain Downloads includes everything.
Click to expand...

Routes are clearly labelled as such.
y4mr8kuUf66RwbHcBhe6_6HXIZh7h0bYkSjkDSDj7a1bi_PllJGiHYwLciEB9A_k8IeVSo5u-EKEQLYgdn_xCDCqrnsBJL0dUoNPhJZ6ERkdBWKbtEzWtKy4m4KKBR7oqSiedwthVQht_bM8seAWr-4uioovhy178LcZwfDLIBJ85VfRUyWyNa1QbKB8lSe3SnIK5r_MAZ0sAZDSFjk7aYFrQ
 
Thanks for the reminder SailorDan. I keep forgetting I can right click on the column headers and insert more columns of handy information!
 
clam1952 said:
The misc ones I have come across were very old routes.
Click to expand...
For one reason or another, even some newer routes end up with a "misc" tag. Durango - Silverton TANE is one that springs to mind immediately.
If anyone knows of any more of these little gems, then please share them on this thread
https://forums.auran.com/trainz/sho...es-TANE-Friendly-Classics-The-BEST-of-the-DLS
The more lists we get, the better off the community will be, as we as a group can quickly sort the wheat from the chaff.
cheers
Graeme
 
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