DCForum Discussion Forum - Route-Riter new options

I have placed a new version of RR on my web site v2.6.4 which has a couple of bugs fixed, and now has three new options:-Compress .W - Compresses all the .W files in the route which are currently uncompressed.Compress .S - Compresses all the .S files as above.Make Read/Write - This option removes any Read Only attributes from files in the route (there is at least one route in this forums libraries where the files are all read-only).If anyone knows a quick way to scan an .ace file and tell what it is, I would love to hear from them. e.g. Uncompressed .ace
Uncompressed .ace with alpha channel
Compressed .ace Then I could add an option to compress all the uncompressed textures. Another thing with the new version, you will probably get incorrect results compressing .S files with animation in them (windmills etc), if you do not have the updated newshape.bnf file in your ffeditc folder.The latest version is at http://freepages.hobbies.rootsweb.com/~agene and I will update it here within a few days once I am sure there are no problems with it.Regards - Mike.

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RE: Route-Riter new options, MikeSimpson, Jun-17-02, 00:57 AM, (1) RE: Route-Riter new options, DarkestRose, Jun-20-02, 07:24 AM, (9) RE: Route-Riter new options, brooksy, Jun-17-02, 03:11 AM, (2) RE: Route-Riter new options, steam4me, Jun-17-02, 08:01 AM, (3) RE: Route-Riter new options, brooksy, Jun-19-02, 03:52 AM, (4) RE: Route-Riter new options, Bing, Jun-19-02, 11:05 PM, (5) RE: Route-Riter new options, steam4me, Jun-20-02, 03:25 AM, (6) RE: Route-Riter new options, MikeSimpson, Jun-20-02, 05:18 AM, (7) RE: Route-Riter new options, steam4me, Jun-20-02, 05:48 AM, (8) RE: Route-Riter new options, MikeSimpson, Jun-20-02, 07:29 AM, (10) RE: Route-Riter new options, steam4me, Jun-20-02, 08:10 AM, (11) RE: Route-Riter new options, MikeSimpson, Jun-20-02, 06:01 PM, (12) RE: Route-Riter new options, Bing, Jun-20-02, 09:17 PM, (13) RE: Route-Riter new options, MikeSimpson, Jun-20-02, 11:33 PM, (14) RE: Route-Riter new options, patm41, Jun-21-02, 03:42 AM, (16) RE: Route-Riter new options, MikeSimpson, Jun-21-02, 07:39 PM, (18) RE: Route-Riter new options, MikeSimpson, Jun-20-02, 11:36 PM, (15) RE: Route-Riter new options, steam4me, Jun-21-02, 06:06 AM, (17) RE: Route-Riter new options, Bing, Jun-21-02, 09:42 PM, (19) RE: Route-Riter new options, MikeSimpson, Jun-22-02, 01:24 AM, (20) RE: Route-Riter new options, Bing, Jun-22-02, 02:12 PM, (21)

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Note for DownloadersI uploaded the wrong .zip file to my home page, so if anyone has downloaded a version which shows 2.4 on the start up screen, please discard it and try again.Sorry for any problems this might have caused.Mike.

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Mike,Used RR 2.6 ~chuckle~ you know me, always something with it, this time it keeps asking for .sms files, it appears that if I don't add ALL the .sms files to some routes it won't process it, the routes in question were Test Track, PO&N5 and FullBucket, the TestTrack and Full Bucket went up in mb as a result, PO&N5 went down, but then it would anyway being a larger route, I suspect that it now has all of those .sms files in it.... Any ideas??
~DR"Is All That We See Or Seem But A Dream Within A Dream?" --Poe

--ack! yeah its the 'original' DR--

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Hi Mike
Nearly ready to use this excellent utility to upload a new route.
Can you elaborate on the 'updated newshape .bnf in ffeditc folder' statement.
Is this something I need to download from somewhere?
Cheers

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>Can you elaborate on the 'updated
>newshape .bnf in ffeditc folder'
>statement.
>Is this something I need to
>download from somewhere?
>Cheers
If you need it, it's in the zip with Shape File Manager located at
http://www.railpage.org.au/steam4me/trainsim/tutorials/sfm_faq.htmlRegardsYuri.

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200,000+ hits since Oct 2001
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Got it Yuri.
Thanks for your help.
Cheers

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HI Mike - I use RteRiter to reduce World .w files and it does a good job - I tried doing that with the other files in an Italian route - Bolzone - Brennero - and it messed up the route pretty badly, maybe I ran it wrong, don't know.What jus thappened today with the new version of RteRiter is that I installed Pro Train 1 - and went to do some work on the world .w files - RRiter says the file doens't exist, gives me an Error 53 and closes itself. The usual "file not found" jazz. Works perfectly well with every other route I have, but not Pro Train 1 - looked in the .trk file but don't see anything unusual. I doubt its that anyway - I think its something to do with the filename string but not terribly sure about that. There are, of course, no AppPath statements, and we know that error statements usually are wrong anyway. I can't imagine what - unless .... would an underscore, viz. "protrain_rheintal" make a difference? Hmmm? This can't be a DOS 8.3 filename problem, because there are other filenames in there exceeding 8 characters. RRiter just don't like ProTrain. Bing

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>What jus thappened today with the
>new version of RteRiter is
>that I installed Pro Train
>1 - and went to
>do some work on the
>world .w files - RRiter
>says the file doens't exist,
>gives me an Error 53
>and closes itself. The usual
>"file not found" jazz.
Hi Bing ISTR a discussion some time ago that the distributors of Protrain are marketing this route without a .REF file so that it can't be edited in Route Editor. Try opening the route in RE or look for a .REF file and see.Someone else might like to confirm/reject this idea.
RegardsYuri.

==================================
MSTS Australian Add-ons site
http://www.railpage.org.au/steam4me/trainsim
==================================

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Hi Yuri and Bing,If there is no .ref file, then Route-Riter would not be able to process the route, and this is where you would get a missing file error. I am not familiar with Pro Train, if it is supplied via a CD, then I would not expect there to be any surplus files in it in any case.Route-Riter (latest version, now posted here today, should appear soon), will however compress any files which are not already compressed, so should give some saving.I will look at altering Route-Riter to work where no .ref file is supplied, however it would not be able to build a .ref file on its own as I parse the original .ref file to build the new one.By the way Yuri, do you want to post the latest version on your site? It is now up at http://freepages.hobbies.rootsweb.com/~ageneRegards - Mike.

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>By the way Yuri, do you
>want to post the latest
>version on your site? It
>is now up at http://freepages.hobbies.rootsweb.com/~agene

Hi MikeThank you - any piece of Aussie ingenuity relevant to the Australian MSTS scene will always find a welcoming spot at my site. I'll grab it later tonight and upload (thinks... I'm about 10 uploads behind - too many routes to run, and lots of fun building a local one as well - so maybe not tonight, but soon).Now to persuade Matt A to come back "from the dark side" and start building a few decent trams ie W, Z, A, B class.RegardsYuri.

==================================
MSTS Australian Add-ons site
http://www.railpage.org.au/steam4me/trainsim
==================================

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For Bing,Further to the above, as ProTrain is a commercial offering, they should not have used any default objects etc. (specifically banned by MS in their EULA), so Route-Riter would not give you much saving as I would assume if the Route has been properly written that all files would be compressed, and only the files actually needed will be there.Of course that is in a perfect world, so I have altered Route-Riter to be able to act on Routes with no .ref file. I will post it on my site tomorrow (Will be v2.7.3 or higher).Regards - Mike.

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>I have
>altered Route-Riter to be able
>to act on Routes with
>no .ref file. I will
>post it on my site
>tomorrow (Will be v2.7.3 or
>higher).
Does that mean that RR 2.7.3+ will write a new .REF file if one doesn't exist?
RegardsYuri.

==================================
MSTS Australian Add-ons site
http://www.railpage.org.au/steam4me/trainsim
==================================

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Hi Yuri,No, RR will not write a .ref file if one does not exist.1. I use the original .ref to extract the .ref file entries for each shape, without this data it would be difficult to work out what each shape was. i.e. You could not work out which were buildings, animals, level crossings etc without a lot of difficulty (might be possible by checking the listings in the .W files, but a lot of work).2. If a route has not got a .ref file, it is most probably a commercial route which the authors do not want chopped up, and I do not wish to be accused of assisting piracy.Regards - Mike.

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Hi MIke - I got v2.7 et seq and will use it. I understand now about the .ref file and it does make sense. But after reading today's messages, I am still a little in the dark: Will I be able to compress only the world .w files? There really aren't many of them of any size in ProTrain1, I am not after file reduction as such. There is a theory that compressed .w files will smooth out graphcis rendering flow - I've tried it both ways on some of the routes, including Marias3 and I say the jury is still out. Am not certain there is a difference.Can anyone confirm or refute the above, that compressed .w files make for less jerkiness? I've also noticed that the jerkiness is worst in the full HUD (Shift +1) view and much less so in the 2 and 3 views. I've got the new system cranked up full blast, including a hacked IOPageLockLImit value, "Performance" setting in the BIOS - makes the AMD XP 2000 go a little faster. Visiontek Ti 4400 with high performance settings via Rivatuner. Large "paging" (nee "swap") file. 7200 rpm Seagate Cheetah HD. I can OC the Visiontek but TS doesn't always like it when I do and its difficult to see much real difference in the "jerkiness department", maybe a little improvement. If I have to live with it, I'll live with it. For better or worse, in sickness and in health ...Bing

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Hi Bing,The latest version of RR (not yet posted), will work on Pro-Train apart from the .ref file. As I said I have never seen ProTrain, and have no intention of paying for a route when there are so many great ones there for nothing.That said, I am assuming that Protrain only includes those files which it needs to run, in which case they are probably compressed already, so RR would not give you much improvement.On the other hand if it is badly put together and they use batch files to copy other files from the default routes, then RR will give you some improvement.As for the stuttering, this will obviously be greatest in the View shift 1, as this gives you a full screen moving window, whereas just looking through the drivers windscreen only gives you about a third of a window.I can not help you with whether using compressed .W files gives less stutter than uncompressed, other than to say the compressed files will load off the hard-drive quicker, but then the processor has to uncompress them as well as display them, so I suppose it depends on how fast your drive is and how fast your processor is and how good a graphics card.Mike.

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If your program makes a route so small by using the files only required for the route to run,, you kinda take the fun out of editing a route.. Some of the routes avalable are nice but, sometimes they are lacking detail or have some areas that are not finished for some reason , then from what i read about your tool , you would have to manually add objects to a route to customize it for your personal liking...I myself have taken Snipers PO&N 4 and added, hacked , changed it , to my tastes, because all the files were there to use... With 120 Gig hard drives avalavble now for less than $200.00 hard disk space is not a a issue ...
patm41

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Hi Patm,No, hard drive space is not an issue for me either, but around 3000 people have downloaded Route-Riter world wide, so it is an issue with a lot of them.The other advantage of trimming down a route's size is that it takes less time to load.If you wish to add items to routes, just get Jim Ward's stuffit pack, with that you can add all the shapes/textures from the default routes, merge his .ref file with the routes one, then you can edit it to your heart's content.The reason route builders are using Route-Riter is to make a simple installation program. Some that I have downloaded need a genius to install.Regards - Mike.

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Hi Yuri,In case you do not know, none of the download links on your page appear to be working today?Mike.

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>In case you do not know,
>none of the download links
>on your page appear to
>be working today?
Just tried 3801, garratt, NR class and a couple of tutes and they're working now - however I don't doubt you as railpage sometimes has "issues" with access, but they usually don't last long.RegardsYuri.

==================================
MSTS Australian Add-ons site
http://www.railpage.org.au/steam4me/trainsim
==================================

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Mike - AMD XP 2000+ - Gigabyte GA-7DX+ - 512 Meg DDR RAM - Visiontek Ti 4400 - Seagate Barracuda 7200 rpm 40 Gig HD - Turtle Beach Santa Cruz sound card. Per previous, all performance options are selected and tweaked, including hacked IOPageLockLimit and PreHandler set up to 5. Cacheman always on my systems. RivaTuner preset for high performance. BIOS set for high performance (makes the AMD run faster than "normal", I have the feeling the higher setting is more what they expect the gamer to be using). OC'd the Visiontek to 300/650, not much difference, TS doesn't always like it either. Not exactly chopped liver. This isn't stuttering as such, it is jerkiness and yes, I defrag on a daily basis. Yep, the 60 Hz refresh rate fix is in. (Comes with the new RivaTuner.)If you can find a free route that is the equivalent of the Pro Train Rhine Valley, by all means let us know. I frequent the German TS websites - I find many other routes, but none at all for the rail lines along the banks of the Rhine. If there were a freebie, there wouldn't be a reason to buy Pro Trian. OTOH, how many amateurs out there are capable of the graphics job these guys have done with Frankfurt Hbf and how many could even begin to cope with Cologne cathedral??I would like to see the freebie Rhine Valley route - remember, it has to have the rail lines on BOTH sides of the river, not just one or the other. It also has to have a functional and reasonable rendering of Frankfurt rail facilities, plus the above mentioned scenery in Cologne. Right now I would say you must be hanging around different websites than myself. I see and have Berlin - Seczin, Black Forest, Erfuhrt and several Austrian routes, not to mention Italian.Point me to the freebie Rhine Valley route. Please.Bing

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Hi Bing,I never said I had seen another Rhine Valley route, I said I would not pay for a route (no matter where it went), when there are plenty of free ones out there. I did not even know where Protrain went.Personally, I hardly ever drive a route in MSTS. I build locomotives for it, I am building my own route, and I have spent all my spare time (and a lot of money on new hardware) over the past months working on Route-Riter. I am more of a fiddler than an engine driver - if I had a real loco, I would more than likely dismantle it than drive it Regards - Mike.

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There's a great photo in European Railway Photo Gallery in the newest Hungarian directory ("Updates") of an old Hung. steamer being restored. Bunch of young guys swarming all over the teakettle, working on it, almost certialy donating their free time. I admire people like that - then I take a nap.I'm an ops person, I guess, though I enjoy getting new cabs and sounds working in the locos. I'm John Wayne, standing tall in the saddle and bellowing: "Machst du Wagen - AUF!!!" (translation if you must: All right, roll those wagons!!)My grandpappy on dad's side was a locomotive driver, all over the US - believe it was 35 states in first 30 years of lmarriage. He drove everything. Maybe it's in the genes, don't know, have always been thrilled by hearing that lonesome whistle blow. During WW2 I spent summers with grandparents (mom's side) in a suburb of Detroit, couple hundred feet from the NY Central four track mainline. Loved it, many times four trains in motion all at the same time. You bet the 20th century Limited came rumbling thru, you bet it did.Maybe that's why I like to drive trains. Its a great hobby because we can choose our individual area of interest. We can build locos, reskin cars, design routes, drive trains - tell ya, if it weren't for thos mountains in Marias3 and Innsbruck-St. Anton I wouldn't be spending the money for a new system to make TS run better.I think we sitll haven't gotten to a point, though: Is there proof for or agin compressed .w files reducing jerkiness? Does anyone really know? Will anyone really tell?Bing

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