Problem Identifying a Session Save?

Once you have entered driver mode all saves are game saves even if you went back to surveyor mode so make sure the session is not basic when saving.

Strange! In this case the game always forces me to save as sessions, no way to save as game saves.
 
When you have entered driver mode and do a save the session is time-stamped. If you go back to surveyor mode and do a save you have a choice to overwrite the original session or save it as a new session which is time-stamped. The overwrite original session will save with the trains in the new position and not the original starting position. Those time-stamped sessions are game saves and will return you to the position you finished at.
 
As I am concerned if I switch from Driver to Surveyor (e.g. to add a train, even doing nothing) and go back to Driver, then it is impossible to save as a game, the only option is to save as a session.
 
In driver mode yes, it is time-stamped for the point you saved the position of trains. In surveyor mode, you can overwrite the basic/start session and lose the original start positions of trains or you can select a new name for the session leaving the original session untouched. Both ways (the new surveyor session or the drive mode session) are time-stamped at the point you saved. Game save is a save while running the route whether it is in surveyor or driver mode. Don't confuse this with a save in edit surveyor before you go into driver mode.
 
Yes, both are saved games, but there is no way to know in the Route menu which is a real "saved game" and which is a "saved game as a session". And if you delete the latter, all subsequent saves vanish with it as they are again real saved games. This mess didn't exist before UDS when the train tab was accessible in Driver mode.
 
In view sessions, you have a time-stamp at the bottom of the screenshot.
route Trainz 31-7-2021 15:08 is a save from driver mode and can be deleted without sessions being deleted.
route Trainz 14:58 31-7-2021 is a session save if you delete this one any driver saves that used this session will get deleted as they are linked to that session.

Note the time and date are different ways around.
 
I always had the same timestamp format for both. It didn't change in latest version (Build 113642), only style has been modified. First is a real saved game ("Misc" in CM), second is a saved session ("Session" in CM):

Clovis to Lubbock - 16:02, 30/07/2021 - 25:08
Clovis to Lubbock - 17:46, 31/07/2021 - 00:07
 
In CM I have the following:-
A = The Route
A <kuid:75377:100465> A split train

B = The saved session from surveyor mode after you entered driver mode
B <kuid:75377:100477> A split train - 16:59, 31/07/2021 - 00:01:28

C = The driver mode save from the surveyor mode session
C <kuid:75377:100478> A split train - 16:59, 31/07/2021 - 00:01:28 - 31-07-2021, 17.02

D = The original session
D <kuid:75377:100467> A split train - Default

E = The driver mode save from the original session
E <kuid:75377:100479> A split train - Default - 31-07-2021, 17.15

Time-stamp from surveyor mode shows Name, time, Date, and how far into the run it was saved.
Time-stamp from driver mode shows the above plus date and time of save.
Time-stamp from driver mode shows original session name, date and time of save only.
 
Yes, both are saved games, but there is no way to know in the Route menu which is a real "saved game" and which is a "saved game as a session". And if you delete the latter, all subsequent saves vanish with it as they are again real saved games. This mess didn't exist before UDS when the train tab was accessible in Driver mode.

Click on then hover over the session tile. The creation/modification date will appear along with the kuid and username.
 
In the case of (at least) "B" above:
The Driver session is saved with the timestamp appended to the NAME as you show but when hovering over the saved icon the actual timestamp itself is:
31-July-2021 12:56:34. (The stamp appended to the name and the actual timestamp when hovering are different.)

As far as I can tell actual timestamps when hovering over the icon are all the same format. At least, that's what I see here.
 
The video shows the left session B, the middle is the original default and the right one is C


Greg in your case you are looking at E a driver mode save from the original session.
B is a save after you go from driver mode to surveyor mode and then save from surveyor mode.
 
Last edited:
I guess our difference is terminology. In your video I consider the actual timestamp as the timestamp you see at bottom when you hover over the icon and they are all the same format. I don't consider the time appended to the name at top as a timestamp as it can be altered by the user by providing a different name upon the save. Is this not right?

by the way... I really appreciate the replies and the video.
 
You mean here on my end? All timestamps are exactly same format. No matter how long I hover over them. The "timestamp" being the very bottom item in the gray part at bottom of thumbnail. The name of the file appears at top of the gray part. That's the name, not the timestamp. The name MAY have a driver timestamp on it but it's still only a name. And again, the user can change the name on save removing the "name timestamp" entirely. So again, I'm considering the actual timestamp as the bottom line that shows in the dark gray when hovering. And on the video linked above they are all the same. Mine are all the same here also.
 
I got what you are doing now. You have opened your base session and done a save in driver mode. You have then opened the base session or the saved driver session and done another save in driver mode. This will show the date and time only. If you delete a save with an earlier time than the last one saved then all sessions after the deleted one will also be deleted. Any earlier ones will remain. If you open a driver session and then go into surveyor mode and add a tree then go back to driver mode you can exit the game and have the option to overwrite or save as a new session. Save as a new session takes the name, date and time of the used session and adds a running time, new date and time.


The left session is the create a new session save
The original session
The next two are driver saves from the original session
 
Last edited:
We are still miscommunicating on what the timestamp is I believe as in the video all have the same format time stamp as I've been saying. The Name of the session has the Driver timestamp appended but that is not the timestamp.

I've taken a screnshot of the video. The white arrow points to the Timestamp and it's format is the same in all. That is "day-month-year time" - The name/title is just that. A name, or title. Yes, it may have date and time and session run time on it but it's not the timestamp. So our difference is simply semantics and only comes to play when one refers to "the time stamp" and it's format.

Does this muddy the water or help clear up what I'm seeing? A timestamp comes from the system and cannot be changed by the user else it wouldn't be much of a timestamp.


timestamp.jpg
 
Last edited:
I like to try and keep things simple when in Trainz.

Re screenshot:
The "Main session" is where I add the Driver commands, rules, track, road and track vehicles etc via "Edit session" and get's saved as "Save session".
Default layer for this session is Session. It is also used to "Drive" in.
When the thumbnail is hovered over this session, after a small time it will show the session's name, date and time.

The "Driving saved session" is where I have been driving in the Main session and made a save. The driving save shows the visible name of the session, date and time. When the thumbnail is hovered over it will show the session name, date and time also. When this save is reloaded for another drive, the trains will continue from the point they had moved too. I definitely do not edit this save as it is not one of the route's main sessions I work in.


[url=https://postimages.org/][/URL]

My basic Golden rules for world building:

When making the route world, it is worked on via "Edit route". The default layer is "Route".
Saves are "Save route" and "not the session".

When adding a track/road vehicle, driver commands/rules, it is done via "Edit session". The default layer is "session".
The session save window will show the session's custom name only.
Of course a locomotoive that is in the session layer will not be seen when working back in the base route itself.
It only takes a moment to jump between "Edit route" and "Edit session".

I also use custom layers within the Route and session layers, and the above rules apply when saving.
Example: locos will go in their own layer in the layer tab under "Session > locos". The "locos" layer is highlighted when the locos are added to the session. The loco layer is then locked so no other content can be accidentally added to it until wanted. Also if wanting only a particular type of trees/plants etc showing only in that session and not in the route or other sessions, a custom layer in the session layer tab is made e.g. "plants". This "plant" layer is highlighted so when the plants are added to the session, they will be in that layer only. The layer is then locked. Can have a lot of fun with layers.

UDS, Unified Driver Surveyor:
Most of world building is via "Edit route" but when one comes across something minor that needs to be changed when Driving a session, UDS is great for this.
However, do need to be careful how the saves are done.
1. When "driving" and then returning to surveyor using "Surveyor Mode" (to add/move/remove a tree for example) , the defaulted layer is still "Session" in the layer's tab (right side). The session layer needs to be changed to the "Route" layer before the tree is added. The save is "Route only" and "not session", when returning to Drive. If the tree is just moved, the save is "Route only" and "not session" also.
2. If the session is saved too the vehicles will be at the point they have moved to, so when the "Main" session is driven at another time, the trains will continue from where they left off and not at their default starting point.
3.When content has been amended/added in the Route's layer "surveyor mode" via "Unified driver" double check that the save is only the Route option in the Save's window and select "Do not save session".
4. Make frequent cdp backups of route and session/s via Content Manager when everything is working as it should be. My backups have saved the day quite a number of times - especially when experimenting and learning with using custom layers and UDS.
 
In order to help me keep things simple, when I create a new route and give it a name, I always give the session the same name as the route. So in CM, they are shown together. Then in the layers tab, I lock the session layer. While I'm building the route, I don't need to save any objects in the session and locking it prevents me from accidentally doing that. Then when I want come back to continue editing the new route, I open the session that was originally created thereby avoiding an endless set of default sessions, change to one of the route layers and continue editing. Now there is only one session per route and it is empty and locked. Later when I want to test some of the track, I'll save a test session which is usually deleted after the test since there is no further value to keep it.
 
Back
Top