Small route merging rant.

D

DARTrider

Goofy Fictional RR Owner
Hello everyone! I recently had an idea to merge the Eagle River Railroad and LoBN II together, as they are both in the pacific northwest. However, there is another. I'd like to try and merge both LoBN's and the Eagle River together to make one big PNW route.

However, the fact that I can't merge an N3V DLC route with other routes, payware or not is kind of stupid. I made a clone of the route and tried to merge, but that didn't work. N3V, instead of locking down a route because its 'payware,' allow us to edit it. I bought it, so I should be able to edit it. It's like buying a computer and being told 'This computer's software is locked down from the factory. Don't touch anything, because you can't.'

Can you all please fix this, or at least allow route clones to be edited?

Rant over. Thanks for listening.
 
IMO, it may not be fair to the DLC creator if a route could be merged with a single bare baseboard, then be named something else, then put on the DLS or elsewhere for free or profit, and the content creator not get a penny. So for me, a content creator on the DLC, I think the safegaurds in place must help this problem per your post.

Most assets in a DLC route are base, built-in, DLC (and packaged, the new DLC). Maybe if you get Surveyor 2.0, then you could copy sections and save to the clipboard, then paste that section into your route, could be a solution for what you are asking, and would not violate any terms of conditions.

Sometimes the answer is not your question, I call it the can opener approach.
 
If you purchased the routes directly from Jointed Rail, you can merge them. This is why I never purchase routes directly from N3V DLC store.

I merged the LoBN + LoBN2 into the Eagle River along with some other smaller routes via iPortals to create the Northern Pacific. Operation is quite good on this route and can go on for hours, or until I decide to call it quits.
 
Maybe if you get Surveyor 2.0, then you could copy sections and save to the clipboard, then paste that section into your route
Click to expand...

No, this approach is not allowed (to avoid this very situation). You can copy and paste within a payware route but not to a new route.

Our approach here is that allowing people to duplicate a payware route is not good for N3V or the content creators.
 
Why mot create a new class $$$ that allows merges and copy/paste. Maybe a Diamond Class $$$.

Opens a new market -revenue source.
 
Last edited:
boleyd said:
Why mot create a new class $$$ that allows merges and copy/paste. Maybe a Diamond Class $$$.

Opens a new market -revenue source.
Click to expand...

Or add a tag in config files that allows for DLS permissions, and remove editing of the config file for payware routes. That way, you can clone and merge and paste all you want and not risk piracy attempts.
 
I prefer pre-built. The authors often have skills beyond mine. They also have railroad knowledge beyond mine.
 
boleyd said:
Why mot create a new class $$$ that allows merges and copy/paste. Maybe a Diamond Class $$$.

Opens a new market -revenue source.
Click to expand...

All DLC routes are by individual creators, not by N3V. So it would be up to them to agree to this "Diamond Class". If they decide that they do not want their work being modified or merged and uploaded to the DLS, or elsewhere where it could be turned into payware, then they have the right to refuse.

As for the new revenue source - I don't know how many users would be willing to pay a premium for the privilege of merging DLC routes but I suspect not enough. I don't think many, if any, creators are getting rich from selling their work as normal DLC particularly when you consider how much time and effort goes into creating a route at that level.

My thoughts.
 
frogpipe said:
How I feel about Multiplayer Surveyor.
Click to expand...

I certainly have no interest (so far) in MPS but I appreciate that others might want a system that allows better route building collaboration. There are several features in Trainz that I have never used (so far) but that others might find very useful. Unlike taking another creators work to modify and possibly upload as your own, MPS and other "little used features" do not run into ethical and potentially legal issues.
 
Been there, tried that, moved on. I now buy direct from JR who clearly know how to treat customers with respect.

Bob Pearson
 
Hi Bob. Your comment suggests that by protecting the work of our content creators we're doing something wrong, or worse, that by protecting their work, we're disrespecting customers. Do you think that is our goal? Do you suggest we just allow piracy?
 
Last edited:
RPearson said:
I now buy direct from JR who clearly know how to treat customers with respect.
Click to expand...

Just had a look at the Jointed Rail website. There seems to be only 8 contributors to their product range, with occasional content from affiliates (their words).

Looking at their 8 main contributors:-


  • All have assets available on the DLS or built-in. A total of 1,781 current (not obsolete or out-of-date) assets.
  • 3 of them have assets available as DLC. A total of 59 current (not obsolete or out-of-date) assets.

So it seems that they have no problems with the way that N3V treats their customers otherwise, I am sure, they would not contribute to the DLS or DLC.

So what exactly do you mean by "know how to treat customers with respect"?
 
DARTrider said:
It's like buying a computer and being told 'This computer's software is locked down from the factory. Don't touch anything, because you can't.'
Click to expand...

That was a bad example. It is like paying for a movie from Netflix and then insisting that you can now edit it and upload your "improved" version to YouTube. The Netflix lawyers would have you roasted on a spit.
 
Last edited:
Besides, you're still able to EDIT the routes, just not merge them! I'm sure something could be worked out where any merged payware routes would, like, retain their payware properties and be unable to be exported or uploaded, but is that really a good use of N3V's time?

You can always just use iPortals if you really have to.
 
Tony_Hilliam said:
No, this approach is not allowed (to avoid this very situation). You can copy and paste within a payware route but not to a new route.

Our approach here is that allowing people to duplicate a payware route is not good for N3V or the content creators.
Click to expand...


So much for the merging of payware routes, being allowed then. Which is part of your advertising.

 
lovetrainzloathen3v said:
So much for the merging of payware routes, being allowed then. Which is part of your advertising.
Click to expand...

What advertising? I can only recall N3V saying that you can modify the newer DLC routes for your own purposes, but nothing about merging. Older DLC routes would require some extra work before they could be modified.
 
[h=3]EDIT BUILT-IN ROUTES [/h]

In TRS19, you can edit and update all the built-in and "DLC" (payware) routes and sessions. Share your edits with other content owners via the Trainz Download Station.

EDIT: merging is part of the function of editing. Other wise why is it a function of Surveyor..........the editing tool.

I do not want to merge and share, i want to merge for my own personal use. Not much to ask, if others so inclined can share payware edits on the DLS.


 
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