Morning all,In just reading a reply from Longhairedwizard about needing a freshly re-skinned C&O SD40 for an activity pack that he is creating, I have come up with an idea / plea for help.I know that some of you are creating LARGE activity packs with LOTS of extra rolling stock. I for one honestly prefer to have all default consists used and change them as I see fit, BUTI like the default consisits so that I don't need to go searching for add-on equipment!!Generally when I download an activity it is because the activity sounds good, and the LAST thing I want to do is go searching for more product for that activity. ( not that it's difficult just time consuming )Anyways I know that you guys for the most part put in your "Read-Me's" accurate names of the pieces of equipment that we will have to download.Now here's where my idea's come in.......1. Would it be possible for you guys to put all the equipment that will be needed for your activity packs ALL in a separate ZIP File. This way there is no need for searching. All we need to do is download your activity pack..............Then the Equipment Pack to go along with it .Searching is NO longer a factor. And we get to enjoy the activities ALOT quicker.OR2. NEC Track Team creates activities using default MSTS equipment and also using their add-on equipment. Basically 2 versions of the same activity..... VERY HANDY indeed this method of Activity creation, and once again time saving.Anyways just trying to save a bit of time and headaches for the bunch of us that will not have the equipment that is required for most large activities.Hope this idea doesn't sound like whining...it's not meant to be, ...... just trying to make life easier.LaterTim Kent "Power for You"PS: For the record, I am just talking about using this method on LARGE activity packs, OR single activities with LOTS od add-on equipment.........
RE: Longhairedwizard..........& Other major activity creators.
Hi Tim, How you doin?! I could'nt agree more with you. I try to give the user a good challenging activity that gives the most "enjoyment", not "frustration". I too have shied away from downloading activities that required me to chase after equipment. The great trick of doing activities for someone else is that I do the activity for THEM and not myself. I leave the user to change the consists as they see fit. (er..except of course the NEC Freight Lines and now the Western Montana Railroad locos). But I'll always do 2 activities, custom and default. Regards, Denny
RE: Longhairedwizard..........& Other major activity creators.
I don't mind Dling equipment to use in an activity. I would rather spend time dling stuff to get the right feel with the activity. I hate having the crummy default stuff. I already replaced 95% of the default in the NEC with more prototypical equipment. I'd rather dl than have the default.BTW, I am still stuck with 56K,Kevin Arceneaux
RE: Longhairedwizard..........& Other major activity creators.
Hey Kev,I agree 100%. I hate using default equipment as well. And I don't. I switch out the default with roads that I would like to see in the activity.I would just like the Activity Packs to have some sort of means to all the equipment needed in activities ( IE : A seperate ZIP containing all the add-on equipment )I can't stress enough that I mean to use this method for Activity Packs such as what Longhairedwizard is creating.........I don't mind downloading a couple peices of add-on equipment for an Activity.I swear I'm STILL not whining............heheTim Kent "Power for You"
RE: Longhairedwizard..........& Other major activity creators.
Another solution to the problem could be to create the activity with all default equipment. In the Read Me text, place a list of the Player and AI trains with the type of engines and cars. We could then use the AE (or Con Builder) to build like sized and powered consist and then replace the defaults in the activity. To take it a bit further, maybe Con Builder could be modified to "aiias" a consist somehow using what we have in our files.Just an idea. Then again if there were some way to build the paths in an activity for the trains using "ghost trains" with instructions in the read me on what power and size each consist should be and replace the ghosts in the activity. We may already have similar consists built for other activities. Am I being redundant? Maybe this will cause some wheels to turn in some of the programmers' minds!!
RE: Longhairedwizard..........& Other major activity creators.
I agree to a limited extent. When designing an activity one has to look at the underlying senarieo and what is needed to acheive the effect desired. When I wrote my Canadian1955 for the KHP route to go along with Harold Clitheroe's Classic Canadian, I was setting the activity in 1955. There is no default equipment that would go with this activity. I had to do a search of the files section to d/l equipment that fit the era modeled. Then in my readme specify the names of the files needed to be d/l'ed in order for the activity to work. I don't think that the people who run train-sim would like it if every activity author took up file space with equipment files that are readily available there already. Sharon Evans
RE: Longhairedwizard..........& Other major activity creators.
As I have thought about this overnight, there is another option for the needed files problem. Again the powers to be here must weigh in here due to the flap we had sometime ago over linking to files at train-sim from outside locations. The idea is for activity designers to include the links to the needed files in the readme.Sharon
