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mivone (91 posts)
Sep-20-01, 11:31 PM (EST) "Route Building Guide for MSTS by MV" I have written a "Step by Step Guide to Route Building for Microsoft Train Simulator", of nearly 200 pages, aimed at beginners and non-experts. It can now be downloaded from Abacus as a PDF file of 6.8 Mb, for US$15, and requires Adobe Acrobat 4 or later. For more details and to order, please go to http://TrainSimulatorWorld.com/. I welcome comments on the Guide in this thread, as well as by e-mail at mivone@pacbell.net. I will try to update the Guide as more is learned about building routes for MSTS.This Guide deals with the Route Geometry Extractor, the Route Editor and parts of the Activity Editor. It covers mostly the laying of tracks, the shaping of terrain, and adding objects, textures, transfers and sounds. It shows how to use the Activity Editor to test and drive your routes, and explains how to prepare a route for distribution to other users.The Guide uses two approaches. First, it includes a step-by-step route-building project, which starts with the simplest aspects of creating a route and laying track. It then gradually and methodically builds up toward more complex tasks, such as making hills and rivers, tunnels and bridges, and adding forests, roads, road traffic, level crossings, signals, mileposts and speed limits. It also explains how to import and use objects, textures, transfers and sounds from default MSTS routes. This project allows a beginner to learn as much or as little as he or she wants. A simple working route is included that illustrates every single step of the project.Second, for the more advanced user, the Guide explains each aspect of route building in more detail, giving options and alternatives, and warnings about pitfalls. This includes a discussion of how to efficiently package a finished route for distribution to other users.An Appendix lists all known Route Editor commands and their actions.This work has benefited immensely from the very important contributions that you all have made to this Forum. I hereby most gratefully acknowledge those contributions. This Guide started as a short Tutorial that I intended to upload for free distribution. Just like a route that never stops growing, this text would not stop growing, thereby covering more and more aspects of route building. It took an immense amount of time to gather the information (often incomplete and contradictory, or non-existent), to check it all out, and to turn it into simple step-by-step instructions. I had no help from Microsoft or Kuju. The task of making this bulky Guide both practical and widely available was beyond me: I needed professional help. Abacus also gave very wise and much appreciated advice for its content.Michael Vone
mivone@pacbell.net
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Table of Contents

Subject Author Message Date ID RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS b... TheEagle Sep-21-01 1 RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS b... mivone Sep-21-01 9 RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS b... asandor Sep-21-01 2 RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS b... mivone Sep-21-01 11 RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS b... CSXALine Sep-21-01 13 RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS b... asandor Sep-21-01 15 RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS b... ozinoz Sep-21-01 3 RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS b... CajunRon Sep-21-01 4 RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS b... zorcan Sep-21-01 5 RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS b... TheEagle Sep-21-01 6 RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS b... lrperkins Sep-21-01 7 RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS b... Boweavel Sep-21-01 8 RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS b... bobs Sep-21-01 10 RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS b... ronik24 Sep-21-01 12 RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS b... ronik24 Sep-21-01 14 RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS b... mivone Sep-22-01 16 RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS b... gmorales Oct-31-01 17 RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS b... e3n Nov-01-01 18 RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS b... gmorales Nov-13-01 19 RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS b... mivone Nov-13-01 20 RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS b... gmorales Nov-14-01 21

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TheEagle (34 posts)
Sep-21-01, 01:45 AM (EST) 1. "RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS by MV" LAST EDITED ON Sep-21-01 AT 01:50 AM (EST)Hmmm, it got 5 bucks more expensive?Anyway, does your guide deals with getting the US and Japanese sound regions working in new routes? Cause that's the only thing I don't know. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
mivone (91 posts)
Sep-21-01, 10:50 AM (EST) 9. "RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS by MV" >Hmmm, it got 5 bucks more
>expensive? No: the Abacus web site listed $15 all along, while I was told it would be $10. >Anyway, does your guide deals with
>getting the US and Japanese
>sound regions working in new
>routes? Cause that's the only
>thing I don't know. The guide deals with importing sounds from any default route, and gives examples from the European routes. Can anyone confirm that there are problems with sounds from the other routes?Michael Vone
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asandor (71 posts)
Sep-21-01, 02:31 AM (EST) 2. "RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS by MV" Michael,I picked up the manual. So far I did find some things in it that I didn't know. I just need to print it out so I can use it while working on my route. Also, in the sample route that it comes with there seems to be a problem with the track database. I can't get it to load in the route editor. Comes back with the 'Failed to load track database' and then 'Track database read failed'. I've tried to reinstall the
route from the zip file with no luck, plus I've tried to check the advanced options before the route load with no luck.Alex Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
mivone (91 posts)
Sep-21-01, 01:40 PM (EST) 11. "RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS by MV" >Also, in the sample route that
>it comes with there seems
>to be a problem with
>the track database. I can't
>get it to load in
>the route editor. Comes back
>with the 'Failed to load
>track database' and then 'Track
>database read failed'. Alex: I have tried to duplicate your problem, with no success (i.e. the installation works OK for me). I started from the file downloaded from Abacus, and followed my own instructions to the letter. The route opens correctly in both RE and MSTS. Believe me, in preparing this Guide I followed my own admonition:
"VERY IMPORTANT: Test your own installation instructions!"The corresponding recommendation for users is: follow the instructions to the letter.I hope this solves your problem.Michael Vone
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CSXALine (302 posts)
Sep-21-01, 02:33 PM (EST) 13. "RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS by MV" I for one want to thank Michael Vone for this GuideJason Webb
The Seaboard Coast Line/CSX A Line from Tampa Florida to Jacksonville, FL
As featured on Orlando's WOFL FOX 35 E-News
http://roaddoc.dnsq.org:880/scl-csx/ Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
asandor (71 posts)
Sep-21-01, 09:06 PM (EST) 15. "RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS by MV" Michael, I'm going to uninstall the route and give it a shot again. I'll let you know what happens.Thanks,Alex Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
ozinoz (88 posts)
Sep-21-01, 03:38 AM (EST) 3. "RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS by MV" Not to cast aspersions upon your work, but after having paid nearly $50.00 AusT ($25.00US) for the "official" guide, only to find it about as useful as a ricepaper sick bag, I am VERY reluctant to fork out more cash for something that should have been included with the sim. I understand being compensated for your work, but when you look at the likes of the fabulous route cteators, loco creators etc that are supplying brilliant material FOC, it sticks a bit. What are the thoughts of others. I have only just started to tinker in the route editors, and have already had to re-install Port Ogden because I stuffed that past the point of correcting, while trying to add a new helper track on the Mountain Division - heaven knows what will hapen when I try to add some platfoms for the ESE Cheers guys, I am sure to be anoying you with stupid questions in the next few days ... OZ Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
CajunRon (175 posts)
Sep-21-01, 07:17 AM (EST) 4. "RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS by MV" Having been burned myself on some of these third party "How-to" and "User-Guides" (Many of which are just rewrites of the original manual), I am very leary of purchasing a $15.00 pdf file, sight unseen. And on top of that I have to absorb the cost of printing the document. If it were published and available in bookstores at least we could peruse the pages and determine it's usefullness. In my opinon, asking this amount for a unprinted publication that we can't even first peruse I think is asking for a bit too much faith.
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zorcan (53 posts)
Sep-21-01, 07:35 AM (EST) 5. "RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS by MV" OK,I'm new to MSTS (I only got it last week) and am really keen to get into route building, so I've just bought and downloaded this guide.I've only read it in part so far, so all I can say is:1) I've already learnt a lot I didn't know before and have already saved many potential hours of grief.2) Much of it does just represent the MSTS help info, but interspersed with caveats and tricks which are not at all apparent from the official source.3) There are lots of very useful screenshots.So all in all, I reckon its money well spent Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
TheEagle (34 posts)
Sep-21-01, 09:32 AM (EST) 6. "RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS by MV" There are 2 types of people who want to make routes.The 1st person wants to know how everything works first and then starts building his (her?) route and the 2nd person wants to find everything out hisself while making his route.I'm, just like the 2nd person, I like challenges. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
lrperkins (106 posts)
Sep-21-01, 09:45 AM (EST) 7. "RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS by MV" As somebody who has been working with routes since this program came out, I feel good about recomending this purchase. I have visited the forum nearly every day, and I found in reading this guide, that there is plenty of things that I didn't know about. And it's nearly worth the price just to have all of the information in a binder sitting near the desk for easy and quick reference.
I give this a buy recomendation.Lonnie
KRNO
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Boweavel (1196 posts)
Sep-21-01, 10:28 AM (EST) 8. "RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS by MV" Doesnt it state that a fair amount of the information came from this Free forum anyway ? Alot of people forget that there is a search button on this forum that will find you almost everything you need to know..and things you didnt......Heck , I only just found out I have an Inbox on this site !!!! The folks in here are nothing but helpfull to say the least, I have a prob..I search for a post or pop one in...might take some time but Me and many others who read the post will get help.....Ok back to banging my head over these bloody signals.... Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
bobs (226 posts)
Sep-21-01, 12:36 PM (EST) 10. "RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS by MV" We have an inbox? Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
ronik24 (127 posts)
Sep-21-01, 01:45 PM (EST) 12. "RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS by MV" I just ordered the guide, too.- I know that's a free forum, but there's a difference between lots of scattered topics and a guide, which can hopefully also answer some things I didn't know before (and as far as I read in the content table it's better than the MS doc).- I'm planning on building a large route and for that planning is necessary and it's some risk to lose your work if you do it just by testing. It will also be helpful to read the chapter "limits of MSTS" because that's something I really want to know.Roní Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
ronik24 (127 posts)
Sep-21-01, 04:24 PM (EST) 14. "RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS by MV" Now I got it, and it's really different from the MS doc. It really gives you the feeling that you are guided by an experienced person. I also like the advice what to do and what might be problematic.Here's a screenshot:
Roní Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
mivone (91 posts)
Sep-22-01, 05:21 PM (EST) 16. "RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS by MV - II" I have opened a NEW UPDATED THREAD FOR FURTHER COMMENTS about this Route Building Guide: please go to
http://www.train-sim.com/dcforum/DCForumID6/1756.html.Thanks, Michael Vone
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gmorales (9 posts)
Oct-31-01, 03:38 PM (EST) 17. "RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS by MV" Hi Mr. Michael.

Do you know if the steps for the construction of routes are fully applicable for routes in the South hemisphere, specifically in Chile?

Also, the point 2.6: "Importing real terrain elevations (DEM) " of page 27, you talk about other tutorials in the forums of train-sim.com, but in your guide it is not explained how to make the step to transform my DEM to a terrain in the Train Simulator. Is exactly in this step that I cannot include the DEM in the Route Editor. What I can do? Do You have another tutorial that explains very detailed this step?

Thanks.

Germán Morales Loyola
Ingeniero de Estudios
Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia (FCAB)
Antofagasta - Chile
Fono: (+56) 55 - 206565
e-Mail: gmorales@fcab.cl
Web: http://www.fcab.cl Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
e3n (25 posts)
Nov-01-01, 00:07 AM (EST) 18. "RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS by MV" Hey how do you do a screenshot of your pc? Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
gmorales (9 posts)
Nov-13-01, 10:37 AM (EST) 19. "RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS by MV" LAST EDITED ON Nov-13-01 AT 10:52 AM (EST)Thank you Michael for your answer. I have been working in my route using your guide and the work has been very easy.It is possible to modify the wide one between both rails? (In spanish is "Trocha") By defect, they appear with the wide standard (1,4 meters), but we used wide of 1 meter between both rails. Regards, Germán Morales Loyola
Ingeniero de Estudios
Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia (FCAB)
Antofagasta - Chile
Fono: (+56) 55 - 206565
e-Mail: gmorales@fcab.cl
Web: http://www.fcab.cl
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mivone (91 posts)
Nov-13-01, 02:59 PM (EST) 20. "RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS by MV" Sorry: I have no idea how to change the gauge. Anyone?Michael Vone
Step by Step Guide to Route Building for Microsoft Train Simulator
Cliff Hanger Route
Rocky Island Route
http://avsim.com/hangar/utils/mvchallenges/ Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
gmorales (9 posts)
Nov-14-01, 08:54 AM (EST) 21. "RE: Route Building Guide for MSTS by MV" Hi MichaelSee this tread for some answers.http://www.train-sim.com/dcforum/DCForumID6/2340.htmlGermán Morales Loyola
Ingeniero de Estudios
Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia (FCAB)
Antofagasta - Chile
Fono: (+56) 55 - 206565
e-Mail: gmorales@fcab.cl
Web: http://www.fcab.cl
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