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whistle (23 posts)
Dec-04-01, 05:46 PM (EST) "More path editor mysteries revealed" I enclosed a Word document containing my findings about some features of the Path Editor: waiting points, mouse box, broken button, broken points and optional path. For the first three features I have a "final theory". For the other two it´s pure speculation. Have fun!
You can find this document at
http://www.train-sim.com/dcforum/User_files/3c0d52373ba8b3c2.zip Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
Table of Contents

Subject Author Message Date ID RE: More path editor mysteries reve... rgarber Dec-13-01 1 RE: More path editor mysteries reve... whistle Dec-13-01 2 RE: More path editor mysteries reve... rgarber Dec-13-01 3 RE: More path editor mysteries reve... Hack Dec-14-01 4 RE: More path editor mysteries reve... whistle Dec-16-01 5 RE: More path editor mysteries reve... edwardk Dec-17-01 6 RE: More path editor mysteries reve... rgarber Dec-17-01 7 RE: More path editor mysteries reve... whistle Dec-18-01 9 RE: More path editor mysteries reve... rgarber Dec-18-01 11 RE: More path editor mysteries reve... whistle Dec-19-01 13 RE: More path editor mysteries reve... rgarber Dec-19-01 14 RE: More path editor mysteries reve... whistle Dec-19-01 15 RE: More path editor mysteries reve... rgarber Dec-19-01 16 RE: More path editor mysteries reve... whistle Dec-21-01 17 RE: More path editor mysteries reve... rgarber Dec-21-01 18 RE: More path editor mysteries reve... bobs Dec-21-01 19 RE: More path editor mysteries reve... rgarber Dec-21-01 20 RE: More path editor mysteries reve... whistle Jan-06-02 24 RE: More path editor mysteries reve... dermottuohey Jan-04-02 22 RE: More path editor mysteries reve... Survivor Dec-17-01 8 RE: More path editor mysteries reve... rjdiii Dec-18-01 10 RE: More path editor mysteries reve... whistle Dec-19-01 12 RE: More path editor mysteries reve... Brinch Dec-21-01 21 RE: More path editor mysteries reve... dermottuohey Jan-04-02 23

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rgarber (977 posts)
Dec-13-01, 03:14 PM (EST) 1. "RE: More path editor mysteries revealed" I'm bumping this up because there is some very interesting and helpful insights in this doc. Whistle, if you're still out there, you and I can do some talking! The oberservations on Waiting points was downright fascinating. I would still like to figure out the meaning behind the optional path. I couldn't get the gist of Broken Points but I hope I got that cleared up in my own tutorial available from Abacus. Very interesting reading though. Rich Garber Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
whistle (23 posts)
Dec-13-01, 05:41 PM (EST) 2. "RE: More path editor mysteries revealed" So, Rich, you want to talk? Talk! I´m here.Earlier I wrote a reply to CaptJR´s message about my observations of reverse points and optional paths. Maybe you haven´t found it yet, so I will repeat my message:=============
About signals and reverse points: in the Shinpei activity of the Hiatsu line there are two reversing points at Okoba station. At first you will meet a switch, a signal and then a reverse point. When you back up, the signal will become yellow and the switch will be operated by the AI dispatcher. Then, you will meet a switch, a reverse point and a signal. If you stop beyond the signal, you will get a red light! It´s just enough to back up UNTIL the reverse point.
I changed this activity a little bit. Now the second reverse point is beyond the second signal. To hit the reverse point, I have to pass the signal. And this will be yellow when I continue my trip. Does this help?About manual switches: in some standard activities I found some optional paths. They seemed to be used only for track sections around manual switches. You will find them in all kinds of ´rescue´ activities, in which you have to set a manual switch, back up into a sliding and pick up a broken loc or wagon. I couldn´t find any differences when I deleted the optional path indications. Switches were still manual, traffic appeared at the same time and signals were the same. I tried whether an optional path could turn an automatic switch into a manual one, but no, nothing. Then I recalculated arriving and departure times for player and traffic services, with and without optional paths. Still no difference. THE ONLY special thing I discovered was a low performance level at the siding where you have to pick up the consist (performance levels at stations are specified in the players timetable). This is logical. With train rescue-ing around an automatic switch you would have to use reversing points for the AI dispatcher to set the switches. The time you need to reverse will be counted for when calculating arrival and departure times. You shouldn´t use reverse points around manual switches, because these switches cannot be operated by the AI dispatcher. I the reverse point is off the path, it cannot be counted for when calculating arrival and departure times. That´s where the performance level at the ´rescue´ station comes in. A lower level will result in a certain delay. Again, the simulator does nothing with optional paths. The yellow color just marks it, so you know where to find when have to change your activity later.
==================This was the message. Today, I found something strange. Under certain - unknown - circumstances I got a broken path when placing two waitingpoints on 1 path. Also I got a broken path when I marked a switch as the start of a passing path. The only way do repair this, was to delete those broken pathpoints. I can imagine I did something wrong (what? I don´t know yet). But I can´t think about any reason why it is possible to mark a point as broken, because the only thing you can do with it, is to delete it and you can delete pathpoints in a normal way too.I´m also puzzled by differences between the performance of player services while simulating in 2D and playing in 3D. I found that in 2D simulation, the players service stays significantly below the speed limit. If the limit is 60 mph, the players service drives only 50. I tried to increase the performance level of stations to stop at, but got minimum result. Even when I set the performance levels at 999999 (!) I gain only a few seconds. If I decrease the levels to 90, 80, 70, 60, .. then I get significant delays.Have fun! Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
rgarber (977 posts)
Dec-13-01, 06:54 PM (EST) 3. "RE: More path editor mysteries revealed" Good stuff. The optional path is mystery to me too. But I wanted to talk because you seem to have a gift for tearing into this editor. My reasons for learning the editor were more practical. I needed to write some activities for my route.Well detective Whistle, I got showstopping whistleblower for you. Last night I came across a message I don't recall seeing before. I think there maybe two messages Jim Stevens did on this subject. One was posted not too long ago but I couldn't find it before I had something else to do. Okay... observe carefully.... Why I didn't just save the link I'll never understand... Okay... see how he uses the word 'proximity event.' I kept staring at that word and I'm thinking.. you know.. Jim and LK are alot alike, they don't mince words.. so I wondered why he used the word proximity instead of Location Event.. so I went into the route editor and loaded up the Metro route, okay? I clicked on a fuel point object and found this... See that? Proximity. Now these Proximity events are nowhere to be found in the conventional sense. But I believe, they got to be there or else Jim Stevens wouldn't have tried to use them. The question then is what turns these things on.Now what little time I had to mess with this, changing the annimation selection made my fuel points disappear so I didn't get too far. But you... you sound like a fella with ambition... if we could uncover the secret of the syth.. I mean... proximity events.. we'd be rich.. rich rich!!!! Sorry, got carried away... ok... go to it! Rich Garber Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
Hack (554 posts)
Dec-14-01, 05:02 AM (EST) 4. "RE: More path editor mysteries revealed" >if we could uncover the secret of the syth.. I mean...proximity
>events.. we'd be rich.. rich rich!!!!Eh, you're already "Rich"...What more could you ask for. But FWIW, I would be most interested in your findings on this subject (as perhaps a couple hundred other folk)...I'm no where near monkeying with routes, but I just love a good puzzle. Please - find out what's needed so this ol' man can get some sleep! Cheers!
Marc - 3DTrains
http://www.3dtrains.com
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whistle (23 posts)
Dec-16-01, 06:36 PM (EST) 5. "RE: More path editor mysteries revealed" Detective Whistle reports!This is the initial report about my investigation of proximity events. First I defined the problem, then I searched Internet for threads and after that I analysed Jim Steven´s (MCSE) reply to someone´s question. To start with the most intriguing part of my findings: Jim´s message is coded! You can read the words but the meaning of them is only revealed to those who have access to the encryption key.
This is what I have done so far:1 I found the following problems:
- what are proximity events and how to use them
- how and where to pick up exotic things like mail and rocks
- how to trigger a switcher to bring in cars for a consist
- how to trigger the switcher to disconnect from a consist
- how to connect the players train to the switchers disconnect
- how to trigger a 35 car passenger train to arrive on an adjacent siding
and box in the player train for five minutes
If Jim can do this he must be Superman.2 I found a question from "2fasttostop" about making fuel points visible for activities. It is this question that Jim Steven replied to and you, Mr Garber, didn´t save this link but just copied the screen to your precious hard drive. WHY? You almost blew the case. I couldn´t find Jim´s message on the forum so I searched for other messages written by Jim and I found one! I replied at this with the order to give me an answer on each of the questions above. I told him to hurry. He better listen, otherwise I will pay him a visit.3 I read and read and read and read Jim´s messages over and over and over again. Something´s bothering me. He wrote: "Since the whole point of the Activity Editor is to sequence events". I have the feeling that Jim didn´t finish this sentence. Something is missing.... sabotage? Or didn´t you save the complete message? You should have saved the link!
But seriously: I was triggered by this unfinished sentence. This implies that there is some kind of event handler in Trainsim, which handles the event sequence as set up in the activity editor. That´s why the manual warns you to place reverse and waiting points in the order you are going to use them. Sounds logical to me.
So we have an event handler. And I think this is the reason why we can´t get control of traffic trains via the activity editor. Think with me:
1 the activity editor sequences events
2 trainsim must have an event handler
3 this event handler only ´listens´ to actions and events and generates some basic outcomes, it doesn´t control any train
4 YOU are in control of the player´s train
5 there is nobody to control the traffic train; the event handler will NOT start them: this is specified in the traffic file and events are specified in the activity file
6 only stopping AI trains could be triggered by the event handler, since I think that all path points work like a location event; that could be the reason why you can´t place a location event at a switch.So if we want to have AI trains to pick up and drop off consists AND if we want to have AI trains to start when a certain event occurs, we need something else ... something like a script as used with ITR activities (examine the ITR.TUT file in the GLOBAL\TUTOR folder, you also will see how the audio is handled). But I question if some ´script-handler´ is capable of handling AI events, so ´AI events´ should be sequenced by means of an activity editor. This is getting complicated ... again a hole in a bucket.Another thing that bothers me is: what is Jim doing with his activities? Keeping them for himself? I couldn´t find any activity on the web written by him. BTW: what are you, Mr Garber, doing with YOUR activities? I found one for the Metro Line. Since I don´t have this route, I can´t play it. Where can I get ML? During my investigation I collected some questions. When I was playing around to find out about proximity events, I managed to get coal and water at the Settle and Carlisle route, but the fuel point at Whitefish didn´t give me fuel. It is animated though when you press T. How to get fuel? Another question is how to make an action event for a pickup. I tried this for the water ´tower´ at Settle. The activity editor asked me to select the pickup object, so I clicked the fuel point and saved the activity. However, Trainsim refused to load the activity. It said it couldn´t find some terrain object. The activity editor also refused to reload the activity. In both cases I was asked to send a report to MS. Last question is why only water towers show up in the activity editor. The fuel point at Whitefish is not displayed.Have fun! Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
edwardk (19 posts)
Dec-17-01, 00:16 AM (EST) 6. "RE: More path editor mysteries revealed" LAST EDITED ON Dec-17-01 AT 00:25 AM (EST)LAST EDITED ON Dec-17-01 AT 00:22 AM (EST)LAST EDITED ON Dec-17-01 AT 00:17 AM (EST)The idea of having AI trains come in and drop off cars will probably remain a mystery until later versions. Jim Steven is a developer who works at Microsoft and because of where he works, has connections. He evidently has the information needed to bring more life to MSTS but for some reason was not able to share them with us. He could have at least left some clues and allowed the community to figure it out. Heres to Version 2 and beyond.Edward K.
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rgarber (977 posts)
Dec-17-01, 01:18 AM (EST) 7. "RE: More path editor mysteries revealed" Elementary my dear Whistle! These many questions and so few answers. Sorry about not saving the link; I chided myself as well for the bluderous mistake. It was a foggy damp evening by the moors that I heard the hounds at the Baskerville bellow such that I fumbled the keys and pressed screen capture instead of link capture.I found myself marveling over the encryprtion in Jim's message too. I think you have interpreted well young Skywalker the mystery of the Syth... er-uhm... I mean the mystery of the sequencing. This journey into the dark side of route creation, the Activity Editor, is a task not for the feint of heart, nor a jedi apprentice. You truely have proved your worth.Your sequencing of the events leads me to think, there is none other than a Master Controller (Tron). In that sense we can think of the Activity file as a script. The proximity event must be something activated by something. I will reveal to you now a conversation I had with Lawrence Kellie, whom at one time... *a hush befalls the audience*... I thought was Jim Stevens HIMSELF!!!Alas, he says no.Anyway, Lawrence said that Jim said, in response to a query about the proximity event, the proximity event while undisclosed, is public. Not what do you make of that my Sherlock Whistle friend?Your experiences with the pickup event are similar to mine. Crashed the activity. So much so, I had to deep-six the thing. But!!! We know it must work because Jim eluded to in another message, that he couldn't get the switcher to continue on. As you have so noted, Jim didn't mince words.So here's the thing. We know that there are at least two messages, and not just one concerning this activity. Buried in the US Gov't archives for eons now, we have a chance at discovery. I thought there was only one message. Now I know, there's two.Now, Mr. Whistle... your detective skills while admirable... need a bit of honing... my activities are within the EMRR route (19 of 'em... 5 more in Retro Metro) and all the EMRR files and add-on can be found HERE in the upload section.Rich Garber
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whistle (23 posts)
Dec-18-01, 01:43 PM (EST) 9. "RE: More path editor mysteries revealed" Detective Whistle reports!Hereby I send you my final report on proximity events and related stuff. I will send the bill later, Mr Garber, can you give me your address? And errhh .. did I tell you I never work on a no-cure-no-pay basis? Because this is what I found about proximity events: nothing, nill, nada, niets, niks, nichts, tipota, rien. Proximity events do not exist - at least not in our version of Trainsim. Indeed, there is a kind of proximity property for pickup items in the route editor, but this is not what Jim was talking about. He was talking about using a proximity event to trigger an AI train. The proximity property for pickup items only specifies that the pickup item should be animated on approach. I´m almost sure about this, but I couldn´t get this kind of animation working.I think Jim DID mince words ... or not if you look at it in another way. Everybody knows that you can specify an action radius to trigger location events. In fact you trigger this kind of event on APPROACH of a certain location on the track. Maybe that´s why Jim was talking about proximity events.The activity editor only sequences events for the player´s train and I can proof this. There are three kinds of events: time, action and location. I added new AE_Eventlist3Open, ..PosX and ..PosY keys to the registry, hoping that a new kind of event would magically appear in the activity editor, but it didn´t work. So we are stuck to three eventtypes.Now what can these kinds of events do? They all do the same: trigger another event, display a message, end/fail the activity or start/stop ignoring speed limits (some time ago I tried ignoring speed limits, but it doesn´t seem to work; did anybody else succeed?).My opinion is that none of the three eventtypes can trigger an AI train. This doesn´t depend on the eventtype, but on the possible outcomes:
- trigger another event: that other event MUST be a time, location or action event, it can´t be an AI train, so this doesn´t serve our goal
- display a message: that´s only usefull for the player
- end/fail activity: how to start an AI train with this one?
- ignore speed limits: doesn´t work, but also has nothing to do with starting AI trainsThat´s all folks! We will have to wait for release 2. I discovered some other things about pickup items. According to Jim a pickup item can be mail, sand, gravel, rocks, fuel, coal and water. In the activity editor I only found fuel points at the Settle & Carlisle line and at the Innsbrück - St Anton line and these are water towers only. I also discovered the the S&C line contains a coal tower and nearby a water tower while both are not displayed in the activity editor. Also, the fuel points at the Marias Pass are not displayed in the AE, although you can take fuel out of them. BTW: to get fuel out of pickup items that don´t show up in the AE map you may have to change that the properties of the pickup item in the route editor. Take care: if you change animation properties only, the content of the fuel point will or may be set to zero!My question is how to display all pickup items in the AE map?Further, I found that action events for pickup items cause Trainsim and AE to abend. I fooled around a little bit with REF files and found some differences in Marias Pass references and S&C references, but I didn´t succeed. Anybody else?So far my report, Mr Garber. If you pay my bill, I will be rich and you will still be Rich, the same guy as before without proximity events. Poor Rich ...Have fun!
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rgarber (977 posts)
Dec-18-01, 08:14 PM (EST) 11. "RE: More path editor mysteries revealed" Is this guy sarcastic or what!? LOL!Well it sounds as if you reached the conclusions the rest of us already have had, a ways back. Nevertheless, there's the never ending struggle to conquer the odds, to beat back the forces of evil, to go it alone, to have a nice day.Jim revealed to another person that the proximity events, whatever they may be, are 'public.' It's possible being Jim could have been a time travler and already may have possessed a futuristic copy of MSTS. Who knows, it may have even been, release version 5.But it all starts here. With us. And to this honor goes the struggle. Trundle on great pooblinick one and remember the Alamo!Oh, I don't have any money for you to continue this great cause btw. Maybe a federal research grant application is in order?Rich Garber Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
whistle (23 posts)
Dec-19-01, 01:54 PM (EST) 13. "RE: More path editor mysteries revealed" Forget about the money, it´s redundant because I already have some (though never enough). I found some other interesting things during my quest for proximity events. Yesterday I posted a message about putting Trainsim´s camera in tracking mode by pressing CTRL-SHIFT-9. I found this key combination in the common.txt file in the Global folder. There are some other very interesting combinations, but I couldn´t get them to work:
- camera cycle (probably to switch from one camview to the other)
- debug (I need this more than ever)
- display info (what info I wonder)
- console (wouldn´t that be nice)
- force derail (why would we do that)
- and others...The most interesting one is AI-HOP-A-TRAIN, including seperate key combinations for faster, slower, stop, reverse, jump left and jump right (wagon view I assume). Looks like you can get control over AI trains in the sim! Now, if you would have some time .......Have fun! Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
rgarber (977 posts)
Dec-19-01, 02:56 PM (EST) 14. "RE: More path editor mysteries revealed" Whistle... just where have you been all this time! AI-HOP-ATrain!?!?? Man, if we could get that to work, we could finally see and no for sure, just what goes on behind those hills and things that stop us from seeing what it is they do. I was certain that between ole dispatcher Joe and the AI trains, there was some kinda poker game going. It always made me wonder too, if there wasn't a stray PO&N engine lurking about throwing switches just to throw my activities off. There's been one too many suspicious wrecks on the Metro and I'm almost certain the PO&N is behind it! Where'd you see this AIHOPATRAIN thingamabopper again???Rich Garber Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
whistle (23 posts)
Dec-19-01, 05:44 PM (EST) 15. "RE: More path editor mysteries revealed" I saw this hip-hopper in "common.txt" in the Global folder. If you change this file you will have to drag it to "iomconvunicode.exe" in the same folder. This program will make a "common.iom" file, i.e. an io-map. I thought maybe these combinations are prohibited in Trainsim, so I renamed some, but this didn´t work. Now, I have another idea: could the "type" and "mode" parameters in .act files do the trick? So .. now you go for it!Have fun! Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
rgarber (977 posts)
Dec-19-01, 08:41 PM (EST) 16. "RE: More path editor mysteries revealed" Whistle,You got me cause I sure don't know what you're on to there. I've been lollygagging building this bodiddly route and haven't done any exploration since I started. I'm real curious though if you could explain a little more in detail this series of illuminations you've come across. Such as 'type' and 'mode' and whatever this incognetovutiblewhatever file you just mentioned. If you could give us the benefit of a more elaborote explanation maybe we could put on our collective thinking caps and give the ole gipper a go of it. Rich Garber Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
whistle (23 posts)
Dec-21-01, 02:38 AM (EST) 17. "RE: More path editor mysteries revealed" I wonder how you can build a route without exploring Trainsim files, while to my experience you have to hack almost everything to determine how to make an activity! Here are some lessons:GENERAL
Almost every file of Trainsim with an extension other than .DLL, .EXE, .ACE, .ASV, .IOM and some others can be opened and changed with Wordpad.KEYBOARD DEFINITIONS
In the Global folder (C:\PROGRAM FILES\MICROSOFT GAMES\TRAIN SIMULATOR\GLOBAL) you will find three subfolders (\SHAPES,\TEXTURES,\TUTOR) and a couple of .DAT, .TXT, .IOM, .CFG files and others (BTW: \TUTOR contains a file named "ITR.TUT". This file can be opened with Wordpad also. If you do, the secret of audio control in ITR activities will be revealed to you.)Locate the file COMMON.TXT and open it with Wordpad. This file contains common keyboard definitions. What is meant by common is that they are valid for all the editors and the simulator. Most of the definitions are explained in Trainsim manuals, but these aren´t: io_map ( LEFTSQUARE "WagonCouple" ALL_UP CTRL_DOWN )
io_map ( RIGHTSQUARE "WagonDecouple" ALL_UP CTRL_DOWN )
io_map ( 2 "CameraCycle" ALL_UP SHIFT_DOWN )
io_map ( 8 "CameraReset" ALL_UP )
io_map ( 8 "force_derailment" ALL_UP CTRL_DOWN )
io_map ( 9 "CameraTracking" ALL_UP CTRL_DOWN SHIFT_DOWN )
io_map ( PAD_PLUS "EditorMakeCollideable" )
io_map ( SEMICOLON "BrickFaster" ALL_UP CTRL_DOWN )
io_map ( QUOTE "BrickSlower" ALL_UP CTRL_DOWN )
io_map ( HASH "BrickStop" ALL_UP CTRL_DOWN )
io_map ( SLASH "BrickReverse" ALL_UP CTRL_DOWN )
io_map ( COMMA "BrickJumpLeft" ALL_UP CTRL_DOWN )
io_map ( DOT "BrickJumpRight" ALL_UP CTRL_DOWN )
io_map ( PAD_2 "toggle_ai_hop_a_train_control" ALL_UP )
io_map ( PAD_3 "toggle_ai_fireman" ALL_UP )
io_map ( T "IncreaseTimeAcceleration" ALL_UP CTRL_DOWN )
io_map ( T "DecreaseTimeAcceleration" ALL_UP CTRL_DOWN SHIFT_DOWN )Note that numeric pad 2 key seemes to be reserved for "toggle_ai_hop_a_train_control", but it doesn´t work, as most of the other key combinations. Only 8 ("CameraReset") and CTRL-SHIFT-9 ("CameraTracking") are recognized by the simulator.You will a conversion program in the Global folder, namely "ionconvunicode.exe" which converts TXT files to IOM files. After you´ve made changes to a TXT file, just drag it to the converter.ACTIVITIES
If you save an activity in the Activity Editor, it will be placed in the \ACTIVITIES folder of the route you specified. Activity files get .ACT as an extension. These files can be opened with Wordpad. Note then when you choose for "compute and save" in the AE, two activity files will be saved: an ACT file and an ASV file. They contain the same activity, but ASV files will load faster in the simulator and can NOT be opened with Wordpad.ACT files start with the following statements (example from one of my own activities):
Tr_Activity (
Serial ( 87 )
Tr_Activity_Header (
RouteID ( USA2 )
Name ( "Test" )
Description ( "z" )
Briefing ( "VERSION 0.1\n\n" )
CompleteActivity ( 1 )
Type ( 0 )
Mode ( 2 )
StartTime ( 0 0 0 )
Season ( 1 )
Weather ( 0 )
PathID ( "Test player" )
StartingSpeed ( 0 )
Duration ( 0 55 )
Difficulty ( 2 )
FuelWater ( 100 )
FuelCoal ( 100 )
FuelDiesel ( 100 )
)Do you see the "type" and "mode" statements?
Mode 1 is reserved for ITR activities, mode 2 for normal activities and mode 3 for tutorial activities. I tried to change type 0 into type 1 and type 2, but with both settings the simluator crashed. Now, mr Garber, what do you think of this?Have fun!BTW: what means LOL? Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
rgarber (977 posts)
Dec-21-01, 09:34 AM (EST) 18. "RE: More path editor mysteries revealed" Whistle,Depending on the situation, you can end up doing alot of investigating into the files the route editor puts down. These files are not used by the Activity Editor so it's very probable that if you haven't done one, you're not bound to know alot about the other.I believe 'type' and 'mode' have been discussed quite a bit here before on this forum. A search of both of these might give you more information how to use them successfully. I believe the gist of both was neither added much to the usefulness of the sim, unfortunately.Thanks for the info on the iom and common keystrokes. I didn't know these things. Maybe if we can get the hopatrain to work then this information will become extremely useful. Like I said, alot of this has been discussed before, it really comes down if we can figure how to make it work.LOL means Laughing Out Loud or something funny was said or is meant to be said that way.So whistle, do you thing that iom conversion thing can be used to convert our .w files in the world folder? I noticed Kuju's world tiles files, are converted or compressed.. whatever it is, but mine aren't. My tiles get pretty large but even the most populated tile of Kuju's is pretty small. I'm not sure what the difference is and if they just compressed to keep the installation smaller or what. But if you are correct about the asv we might see some frame rate increase going from tile to tile?Thanks!Rich Garber Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
bobs (312 posts)
Dec-21-01, 02:45 PM (EST) 19. "RE: More path editor mysteries revealed" Rich, the .w files get compressed with FFEDIT. You can also uncompress a compressed one with it. The editor will uncompress a file, do its thing, but not recompress it. FFEDIT will also compress and decompress shape files. (.s).There's a techdoc on this, but it has syntax errors.Also, there seems to be more than one type of compression. Most .w files compress into binary files, but a few compress into "text" files. They still aren't readable in Wordpad, but they aren't binary either. Don't know why the difference, but it seems to only be used on very large world files. If you try to compress an already-compressed .w file by accident, especially a compressed text file, it may/will mess up some object coordinates, reversing the sign of the coordinate and causing the object to float, upside down in the air, while in the editor, and to disappear while running the sim. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
rgarber (977 posts)
Dec-21-01, 03:32 PM (EST) 20. "RE: More path editor mysteries revealed" Thanks for the info. Do you know if compressing the file has any benefit? I mean, other than making the world tile smaller, will it reduce tile loading time during run time?Rich Garber Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
whistle (23 posts)
Jan-06-02, 11:20 AM (EST) 24. "RE: More path editor mysteries revealed" In my language "LOL" means "FUN". What a coincedence....Have LOL! Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
dermottuohey (18 posts)
Jan-04-02, 05:37 PM (EST) 22. "RE: More path editor mysteries revealed" I think that you can define how much fuel is in a fuel pump in the activity editor. The default is empty. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
Survivor (21 posts)
Dec-17-01, 06:39 PM (EST) 8. "RE: More path editor mysteries revealed" While you guys are on the concept of Proximity Events, I wonder if this is possible?A working drawbridge.Now I know I'm really asking alot out of this program, even more out of something with the word Microsoft plastered on it (Hey they got it right with XP didn't they )Anyways I have a drawbridge over the Welland Canal, in my very slowly developing Niagara Route and I'd love to some how get that to do something! I guess we will find out soon enough! Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
rjdiii (16 posts)
Dec-18-01, 08:00 PM (EST) 10. "RE: More path editor mysteries revealed" Hey,When you wizards figure this out this magic incantation then maybe we can get moving coal trains to load up going through a silo and unloading going through a dumper, including the physics changes per car loading or unloading. Now it's back to the padded room for me.Richard Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
whistle (23 posts)
Dec-19-01, 01:43 PM (EST) 12. "RE: More path editor mysteries revealed" Hey Richard, Yesterday I posted an answer to danoz_g700´s question "Could someone please help me?". It´s about loading coal at coal towers. When loading, the coal level in your tender will rise. To unload it: just drive man, drive! Have fun! Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
Brinch (36 posts)
Dec-21-01, 10:34 PM (EST) 21. "RE: More path editor mysteries revealed" If you wan't to empty your tender, you can just set the filling rate for a coaltower/waterpost to a negative value in RE. Then you'll see the amount of coal/water decreasing while you press "t" in the sim. I found this while trying to figure out the "pick up" action events in AE tonight. I made a test route with a filling point and empty point and used the scotsman with a modified tender capable of loading 350.000 gallons of water, but I couldn't feel much difference in the handling, so I believe the sim doesn't use fuel in weight calculations. I'll do some more testing of this subject, let me know if you are interested in the results. I hope we can get the freight animation to work with freight like it does with coal, that's probably what I'll try next.Brinch Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
dermottuohey (18 posts)
Jan-04-02, 05:40 PM (EST) 23. "RE: More path editor mysteries revealed" I have seen fuel, coal and water (trough and pump). However, I have never seen mail, sand, rocks or gravel as pick up points. Has anyone else? Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

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