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I just tried to install "xtracks"ver.3.2. all went well and i could place many different tracks selected at random to see the results. The problem is that i seem to have a huge number of items that i cannot used because the *.s and *.sd files are not present. Examples: "A1T100r10d concrete.s", "ukfs_s_1x200m.s". There are a large number of these. There is also the road section that are not in the GLOBAL\SHAPES folder. By the way I have only one default road installed namely "Marias Pass" Have I missed something in the install?, This is my first post but I've been reading all the sections for a while. A good day to you all.
I haven't tried an X-tracks install yet, but I suspect that your problem relates to having only the one route installed. This will mean that anything that should have come in with the other routes is not installed, and therefore "missing". Given that it takes nearly 2G to install the whole thing, you may want to install all routes, then make copies of CD/R platters of your Global, Shapes, and textures directories. There have been utilities developed to copy everything to one directory, and you may wish to look into that.J. H. Sullivan, P.E. (retired - BlueRidge Route developer)
I haven't looked at Xtracks 3.2 yet, but you probably have a misconception about exactly what is in the package. The original problem with Xtracks is MSTS itself, which uses the listings in the \Global\tsection.dat file as a "track section ref file". This wouldn't be too bad to add newly created track sections to, except for one rather serious problem - dynamic track. Each one of the default track shapes has an ID number in the \Global\tsection.dat file, and the upper slots are reserved for ID numbers for dynamic track. I know all this sounds screwy and it's real hard to follow, that's because the way it's programmed is extremely convoluted. 1. New route generated. 2. Place normal track section, save, \World~.w file and RouteName.tdb file are generated. 3. Place dynamic track section, \World~.w file and RouteName.tdb file are updated, new tsection.dat file is written to the root of \RouteName using the \Global\Tsection.dat as a template. When dynamic track is placed, each section needs an ID number, and this number is generated as it's placed. The regular "snap track" sections all have pre-assigned numbers. All the work Okrasa and David have been putting into Xtracks and the standardized tsection.dat file has been to work around this flaky programming that requires a certain range of numbers to be reserved for assigning to dynamic track sections as they're placed. Consequently, the "ref" file you're gonna get (the Xtracks/Standardized tsection.dat file) is going to include references to track sections that aren't included because they're in another package that has to be downloaded elsewhere, or even references to track sections that are still in the planning stages and don't exist yet. That sounds like a dumb way to put the package together, but due to the way MSTS was programmed it's the only way to insure backwards and forwards compatibility. I'm currently working on PO&N6, a non-Xtracks route, and if Xtracks is installed while you're laying track that route is now Xtracks dependent even if you use nothing but default track sections, because of the wierd way the global tsection.dat file is used as an ID number assigning template for the route's track database. For that reason I very carefully do not have Xtracks installed at the moment, so I'm just answering this from memory. If you look at the HTM docs included with Xtracks tho, I think there's a list of what's actually included and what is not. If you can't find one, then any track section you place and get an error message, make a note of it as a "future" or disabled section so you don't try to place it again.
Sorry to have taken time in this section but I think I solved my problem. The tsection.dat in the full version of "Xtracks", has entries for a multitude of tracks sections being developped by various programmers all over the place. These entries are already in the .dat file but just as names, if you try to call one of these you get an error as the .s and .sd are not included. If you read the tsection.dat with wordpad you will see the listing of all the blocks being worked on. So I edited the file removing all these blocks. I kept only those referenced to Kuju, to the firm that makes "Xtracks" and a few entries from a fellow nemed Teenu see line 39750 in the file. The texture file also has .ace entries with bridge in the name, and these refer to that fellow's work. The original MSTS .dat was 156KB, the .dat from ver 3.2 download is 509KB, my edited version is 274KB. I use the RE and placed about 75 sections selected at random and all worked OK. As for the future potential problems with "Xtracks", I still have my old GLOBAL folder. Hope this might help others faced with the same problem.
OK, for the "Xtracks Challenged" crowd out there........The additional track pieces that you "have but don't have" are just what Sniper says they are - they are track sections that some route designer has made or is making for his/her own specific route. If you are a route developer and you are making or are going to make some specific track sections for your route in hopes of someday releasing it to the public, then what you do is "apply" to David Beach to have your track sections included in the Standardized TSECTION.DAT file and he will assign ID numbers to your track sections. Thats what you are seeing in your object list. You don't have the track sections, but someday if you download the route that uses them, then lo and behold the track sections will appear in that route and there won't be any file fiddling necessary on your part if you are using the Standardized TSECTION.DAT file. That file is NOT Xtracks per se, but is included with Xtracks for the same reasons described above. It's just that Okrasa released his custom track sections as a package for public use.The rules are simple - if you are in the object selection screen in RE, and have the thumbnail box checked, don't click on the objects listed that don't have a blue field or "thumb" to the left of the description. If you do accidentally click on one or you just can't stand not clicking on one to see what happens, then don't worry, the little error screen you get won't hurt anything. Just click "yes" for continue and you'll be alright.If you are having problems with Xtracks, you should read the documentation with Xtracks and the Tsection.dat file sometime. Not to point any fingers, but if you guys would have read the documentation completely you would know what those extra track sections are. That tells me that about 99% of the people having problems with it are not following the directions properly. Since about Xtracks 3.0, Xtracks has actually been very stable, actually, like Sniper says the instability was actually due to MSTS itself which was rejecting the earlier versions of Xtracks like a bad kidney transplant. I have been with Xtracks from the beginning, and I have had my share of route miscarriages, believe me. I haven't had any problems now in several months, because now I know how it works. If I can help anybody with it, just give me a holler.Demons be free! feel the power of Xtracks!Cheers,Jeff Leslie
Answers 1 & 2 are completely wrong. XTracks does not depend on any route and there are both a full installation and an upgrade from previous version available. 3, 4 & 5 are correct but for the fact I'm not a company but a living person doing this for free and the fun of it and so is Teemu.
Sorry Okrasa for calling you a "firm", more praises for you, I just laid my first 3KM. of tracks. Had to stop to work on a trestle with my 3D modelling package, had to increase the length by 5M. to accomodate Teemu's 30M. deck bridge. I have a port project that will be much simpler to complete with your bridge rail sections. Have a good day.
If you are having problems with Xtracks, you should read the documentation with Xtracks and the Tsection.dat file sometime. Not to point any fingers, but if you guys would have read the documentation completely you would know what those extra track sections are. That tells me that about 99% of the people having problems with it are not following the directions properly. Since about Xtracks 3.0, Xtracks has actually been very stable, actually, like Sniper says the instability was actually due to MSTS itself which was rejecting the earlier versions of Xtracks like a bad kidney transplant. I have been with Xtracks from the beginning, and I have had my share of route miscarriages, believe me. I haven't had any problems now in several months, because now I know how it works. If I can help anybody with it, just give me a holler.Demons be free! feel the power of Xtracks!Cheers,Jeff Leslie