Auran 'unknown' assets

KotangaGirl

Pre-Grouping Railways Nut
When TRS19 SP3 describes an asset as 'unknown' that kicks off the all too familiar search with the aid of TrainzKuidFinder to firstly find out what the heck it is and secondly to find out where it can be obtained from, but eventually the list of unknowns gets whittled down to assets that can't be identified and are very likely to be some species of Auran payware.
My question is how can these 'unknown' assets be identified and resolved without having to buy and download all the DLC there is available in the Trainz store in an effort to get rid of them? Is there a list somewhere, - or some way of finding out what these mysterious unknown assets are?
 
With some rare exceptions, if it's DLC payware, it should show up in CM not as "Unknown Location" but as "Payware".

peter
 
With some rare exceptions, if it's DLC payware, it should show up in CM not as "Unknown Location" but as "Payware".

peter

Thanks for your reply Peter. That's what I thought too, but just recently I had four payware assets for Edinburgh - Dundee show up as 'unknown' which caused a lot of confusion until I eventually discovered what they were and where they were from.
 
When TRS19 SP3 describes an asset as 'unknown' that kicks off the all too familiar search with the aid of TrainzKuidFinder to firstly find out what the heck it is and secondly to find out where it can be obtained from, but eventually the list of unknowns gets whittled down to assets that can't be identified and are very likely to be some species of Auran payware.
My question is how can these 'unknown' assets be identified and resolved without having to buy and download all the DLC there is available in the Trainz store in an effort to get rid of them? Is there a list somewhere, - or some way of finding out what these mysterious unknown assets are?

Before wasting time looking for location unknowns, first try Download this version and or list asset versions, I've found more than a few that way!

Next and this often works, even though it isn't installed you can delete it and it magically vanishes from the list in manage content and often so does the missing asset error.
 
Before wasting time looking for location unknowns, first try Download this version and or list asset versions, I've found more than a few that way!

Next and this often works, even though it isn't installed you can delete it and it magically vanishes from the list in manage content and often so does the missing asset error.

Thanks very much Malc. A few more useful tricks to put in my TRS19 toolbox.
 
It sometimes happens that Auran create a new version of an asset that is on the DLS, simply to add some stupid language tags. If this version happens to be built-in to an edition of Trainz that you don't have, and Auran fail to make it available on the DLS, then you will get the unknown asset message.

It then falls to the asset's original creator (if they are lucky enough to be made aware of the problem) to make yet another version to obsolete Auran's "rogue" version and put it on the DLS so everyone can get the asset. I've had to do this a few times myself after other Trainzers told me that some of my assets were coming up as "unknown". Annoying because I make sure everything I create goes to the DLS as freeware, but Auran's practices subvert my desire to avoid any "missing asset" fiascos.


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It sometimes happens that Auran create a new version of an asset that is on the DLS, simply to add some stupid language tags. If this version happens to be built-in to an edition of Trainz that you don't have, and Auran fail to make it available on the DLS, then you will get the unknown asset message.

It then falls to the asset's original creator (if they are lucky enough to be made aware of the problem) to make yet another version to obsolete Auran's "rogue" version and put it on the DLS so everyone can get the asset. I've had to do this a few times myself after other Trainzers told me that some of my assets were coming up as "unknown". Annoying because I make sure everything I create goes to the DLS as freeware, but Auran's practices subvert my desire to avoid any "missing asset" fiascos.


.

I've just discovered that one of my own assets is now a 'Built-in' asset in TRS19. I still don't really know what to think about that.

But yes I agree that chasing assets through three or four 'Built-in' versions in order to find one that's workable and useful isn't much fun at all.
 
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I've just discovered that one of my own assets is now a 'Built-in' asset in TRS19. I still don't really know what to think about that.

But yes I agree that chasing assets through three or four 'Built-in' versions in order to find one that's workable and useful isn't much fun at all.

Amen to that.

:B~/
 
I've just discovered that one of my own assets is now a 'Built-in' asset in TRS19. I still don't really know what to think about that.

Yes, you have to "discover" it somehow because Auran don't tell/warn you that they are up-versioning one of your assets, altering its config or whatever, and making it a built-in. Whether they also put it on the DLS, like they should, seems to be up to the gods. You are of course meant to be grateful for this honour. :eek:
 
Oh dear.... But yes, I've read about these problems and they've said they're trying to sort it, but this just should not happen, period. Hopefully it will all get sorted eventually, meanwhile just keep chugging along, I'm trying too :eek:
 
Oh my, so that's what is happening. Back in the day, I uploaded a bunch of Surveyor objects that helped me when creating a route. I recently revived an old T:ANE version to build a new route and since I have the original files, just loaded them from my local drive. That's when I saw a bunch of "obsolete" labels and built-in too. When I looked closer I saw a whole bunch of additional language labels and other modifications in the config files. I can "fix" their mods locally and move on but now realize that others are suffering because of their meddling. Because I'm in this for the fun, finding time to obsolete those will be an issue. Thanks!:(
 
People have laughed at and accused me long ago for not putting much items on the DLS
Reason for me, you basicly give all your rights away.
Have an easy check since 2004, i never use kuid 2
So whenever there is a kuid2:99999:etc I know someone tampered with it.
Whenever I update, I ask users to remove the old, install the new. (no polution left)


Besides the rights issue, don't want people making money with things i made free for the community.
I remember getting mails from Auran, I had to update some of my items,
not because they were wrong, but because they changed the game unneeded.
Now we see enormous polution on the DLS, on average every item is there 3x
confusing for users and totally unneeded.


plz don't worry too long about these issues,
just find something fun to do with Trainz
greetings GM
 
To Auran,

If an asset was good enough to pass the DLS validation tests for its build at the time it was uploaded, then I don't think you should be allowed to alter anything. If you must make it a built-in, then do it, but don't alter it, don't clone and up-version it, just use it as is. If you insist on adding language tags, and that's all you're doing, then leave the kuid/version number the same. You sometimes do that anyway I believe.

If you can't or won't agree to that, then get a lot better at uploading your cloned/altered or otherwise butchered versions to the DLS before releasing editions of Trainz or asset packages with those as built-ins.

If you continue the obsession with language tags, then I dare you to make them mandatory for all uploads to the DLS. Then you won't need to meddle at all. At the same time, start actively policing your policy of English-only in the basic username tag by rejecting uploads that use "foreign" language terms in that tag and we won't have to put up with assets called ??hb??95???????.

/Starts holding breath...



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Fully agree with Dino,
Don't mess with assets that were approved, don't break them and don't polute the DLS.


Language:
In the Set-Driver-Condition-Rule thread you can see on page 3
i asked if people wanted it in their language, not a single response
and I mean not even 1, so didn't have to spent hours to use stringtable tags
 
The problem started in the early DLC packages when some assets got installed as built-in instead of payware installed. This has been sorted but some still have those items installed. Because of the way packages have to contain all assets, some assets are updated to work with that version, and when that package is downloaded assets replace those installed and are built-in payware. If you then open your own created routes any of those assets are updated in your routes config. If you delete the package those assets become payware not active. As long as you did not delete any of the older assets that got replaced, all you need to do is open your route and delete missing assets to restore the older assets.
 
As a customer, not a developer, this item caught my attention:

all you need to do is open your route and delete missing assets to restore the older assets.

All of the various labels in the Content database are confusing. I suspect that some labels are condition based such that an old asset, with a label, is not the same as a new asset with the same label. 2 months from now I will not remember that trick and thus be in an unpleasant situation caused by a product that is supposed to bring enjoyment and satisfaction.

All that is really being done is to stack up various remedial "tricks" as issues arise. A true house of cards.
 
You can gloss most things over with time but the DLS & DLC approach is a mess. You know what they say ...'You can't polish a turd' and that's what what we have with the current situation. I totally agree with Dinorius_Redundicus, well said.
 
The more I think about it and the more often I encounter these so-called "improvements" to my uploaded objects, the more I'm resenting the time and effort it will take to obsolete them on the DLS when I could be creating new objects. :(
 
Hi All
Recently we have made a lot of changes to how DLC packs, including builtin content, are packaged.

The first is that DLC packs will automatically detect if content is from the DLS or not. This includes asset updates (ie if an updated asset is non DLS, then it gets seen as a non DLS asset).

If a non DLS asset is submitted along with a DLC pack, then the DLC pack won't be processed till the creator of that non DLS asset authorises through the TCCP website.

If the creator of the asset authorises, then that is up to them. Generally it would be preferred that the updates be placed onto the DLS, but we cannot force a creator to do this.

For builtin content, we use essentially the same system to build the content packs now, so unless something extreme occurs we shouldn't see this issue. We do aim these days for any updates that may be required to be placed onto the DLS, in part because it actually simplifies building the DLS package (it can just pull the asset from the DLS).


In regards to updates to DLS assets that have previously ended up in DLC packs or the builtin content set, I have pointed out a few times that if the assets are reported to us through the helpdesk then we can organize to get these up to the DLS. Generally it happens within 2-3 days of the report, depending on how busy I am at the time :)

I'm not saying this is infallible, we are talking about both people, and man made computer programs here. Hence why, if it does occur, simply contacting us should get it resolved within a few days now.


In regards to updates in general, these are normally done where an asset is faulty or not working. We avoid this as much as possible, but sometimes we do find we need to repair an asset internally. Unfortunately when dealing with content that is to be builtin in Trainz, faulty dependencies need to be fixed as quickly as possible, and waiting for a creator may not always work well.

For localisation, the asset may be given a new revision number to ensure that the version with the localization is used; again these days if any changes like this are made then we do try to ensure that it is updated onto the DLS. However with TRS19 we have avoided localizing most builtin content, and only localized interfaces in Trainz itself, and as such this issue should become far far less common than previous versions.

EDIT: I missed one :)

If an update has been made to your asset by us, and it has broken something, please let me know. At worst, I can try to find out why it was done; at best we may be able to assist with resolving it. Especially since the update would have been made in relation to something here, so it would likely need us to look into it again anyway :)

Regards
 
ty Zec,


583240 assets on the DLS, half of the assets is there double
its not needed to change the kuid/version if you just add language tags/localisation
because the basic functionality is not changed.
ok some will have the ones without, but they work fine.


I understand there is a crew of users helping with assets on the DLS?
Why not a forum part, where they post what they do/updated and why
and where users can suggest changes to repair?


If DLC packs are made of routes, it could just contain the route and sessions
all other stuff its handier if its DLS items. and specially not with locked textures.


MP routes require dependencies on the DLS, what happens
people steal content from external sites, give it their kuid and upload to DLS
this is serious polution and not fair to original creators.
The key of a MP route/session is that everyone has the same content right?
remove the DLS requirement and you keep it all cleaner.
Its up to the content creator where he offers items.
Its up to the user, to get those items.


Too much time is currently wasted to get and repair stuff.
this is not play/enjoy time. Trainz should be fun, right?
greetings GM
 
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