Train Simulator Classic – Core Update & Route Refresh

By the way and additional to the Workaround by DTG:
For me following had helped:
- I searched for every "image.png" in the Content and Asset folder. Then I saved all of them again via a batch-function from tools something like IrfanView. Some other thumbnail I changed the aspect ratio to a 2:1 ratio, for example: 512x256 or 256x128 (numbers should be a even number), so you get also smaller file sizes. For a small thumbnail in the menü you dont need a 4k- picture in the folder. And you don´t need crazy formats like 527x247. (Note: do not make pictures greater than they are. Making 256x128 to a 512x256 makes no sense too)
For me now it seems to work: I can scroll through menue pages without any freezing (at this time ), and without deleting some of these. Of course, only the thumbnails are founded that are not in an ap-folder.
Alternatively you can also rename the thumbnails instead of deleting (as described by DTG), so you have for cases a "backup"


In the german rail-sim forum someone posted a useful guide for Irfan View:

 

I found out that some of the thumbnails in my installations, weren’t even png files but jpg files.

 

I've a little problem when I quit the game from the editor: it still freeze and the unique method to close it is from the task manager...
Anyone experience this?
Is there a solution?

 

Your post is 100% correct.

However, I lack a bit of trust.
They posted a lengthy procedure on how to fix Three Country Corner, which is a Steam DLC and they are the publisher.
What's the fix? Take the AP, replace the PNG, upload the release to Steam.
What's their solution? Write a blog post on how to fix it ourselves.

I'm sure there is an explanation, but it's funny how they ignore the most obvious and simple solution.
Excusé moi if they fixed that in the meanwhile.

One more thing... they already have multiple versions of TSC - x86, x64, D12. Could have just added this as an open beta using the file name suffix 64b. Or keep the old version.

I mean, I have no problems myself, so there is that. But hopefully they learn from this. Small mistakes, but with a big community, it can generate a big effect.

 

Releasing an update into Steam takes weeks (quality checks etc) so if you want your fix now then they provided a method. I am sure they will work through all of their DLC to make sure images are correct in the future. This was obviously not something they were prepared for. As this program has been customized throughout the years be users it has obviously generated multiple layers of error e.g. OOM etc. At least we all now know that a simple png file not saved correctly can corrupt the operation of the app!

I am sure we will find other like issues as we migrate our products to a more robust platform.

Keep the faith

 

thats the next point. Who could know what is a "wrong" png file and what not? There exists a developer documentation. But is it described in it what the correct format, aspect ratio, max file size and so on is? I found nothing in it. In the regular manual I only found a description, that those images should be saved as png. So it should be interesting, if any Third Party Developer had knowledge about using correct png-files

 

I am looking at all the comments. I agree with those who are in agreement that DTG is trying to improve their product.
The purpose and rational of the update is not the issue but it is the execution of the update that is the issue.
Should DTG have contacted all developers and advised them a few weeks in advance of what will change and have them review their products to make any needed changes? Would this update have been best to release this as a beta with a revert function so as to collect feedback and make corrections but allow to revert pre update (DTG has done this in the past)? Both of these options could have mitigated loss of playability and negative feedback. What about any older DLC that is now abandoned ware, who fixes these?
As far as to self correcting the files and manually applying patches, not all have this skillset, some only have various levels of this skill. You may have provided a work through for the icons but I have several items that this update have broken the code.
My suggestion is that this update be rolled back until it is further reviewed. Inform all developers of the changes and let them provide patches. Sadly after applying all the patches a file verify will put some back to before update state.

 

Rather than a rollback, the previous version could be made available through Steam Beta, as other games have done.

 

and it should be done in a way that not affected installed freeware Upgrades/Patches/Soundupdates and so on

 

TSC not for the faint hearted, as long as you are either happy to (1) use only Steam pushed DLC or (2) willing to tinker on your pc.

Luckily I am from the McTinker clan

 

Just another bug (could be pre existing) I am currently working on making a telegraph poles and procedural loft wires asset and as such I have edited the asset in blender several times and exported into .igs and ran the blueprint editor to make the asset files.
In the game I then press F9 to reload assets, it almost always crashes, it does not crash if the assets are not procedural.

 

This it's because the editor can't reload loft correctly

 

I've updated and I can't run the DX12 using my 3070, the game just doesn't load. If I tell the Nvidia control panel to not use it the game loads using the intergrated GPU but graphics is a slide show. This a 5800H, 3070 laptop, 64-bit runs fine, just the new DX12 verion.

 

For me, my only issue is the freeze when I quit the editor, can't found a solution ATM

 

I don't reload edited assets using F9 anymore, I simply exit, clear cache and restart the game.
Simple enough workaround.

 

For me the reload work fine, but only with static objects, for loft and other you need to quit to main menu and restart

 

After the last update, the TS began to boot normally and have a stable launch in 4K at maximum settings, which I could not achieve before (FPS is really low, but I'm happy). The launch is stable both in 64bit and 64bit12DX modes.

 

I too am running TSC on an RTX3070. I agree, the simulator runs like a slideshow when using the DX12 Experimental option. For now, I am happy to run it in the older 32 bit mode for smoother gameplay. I switch to 64 bit mode for the newer routes that are heavily detailed. I am sure over time, DX12 for TSC will receive stability improvements

 

Using DX12 I can't run the game using my mobile 3070, it will only run using my intergrated GPU. Someone pointed out that Laptops are not supported but that feels like a cop out. Hopefully with time I'll be able to use it.

 

Why are we using png's, anyway, I hate them with a vengeance, I change all my screenshots to jpegs before I upload them to various forums, can we suggest having jpegs by default instead of png's in the Route Information folders, especially, if they are the cause of consternation amongst end-users???

Cheerz. Steve.

 

What would that change? You'd need to replace all images then, nothing gained - even more work. The really old JPGs are being slowly superceded by WebP.

Important is to define the standards. There's nothing about the route image.png to be found in the dev docs, at least I haven't spotted any info regarding these.

PNG's are fine, lossless encoding. The bloody "Interlace" format which was used in the early days of low bandwidth internet is the reason. This displayed a low res image until it was fully loaded - no interlace will display the image no sooner than when it is fully loaded - so the Interlace function was designed for web browsers - and the code that handled this is now removed from TS core.

About image size - not even DTG keeps to standards. On older routes 16:9 (256x144) is used - which is exactly the ratio of the image box.

Huddersfield: 256x128
Pegnitztalbahn: 256x128
LIRR: 512x256

They've introduced 512 for 4K displays, but not consequently... I'm hoping they'll update the code that handles the images. This is of no importance for the in game performance, so let's just have that old image handler back - OR, display an image of a milk bottle

The way it is now, DTG will leave a lot of players angry and clueless. One should not need to update Steam games manually, or learn how to use gimp/ps/paint.net, or hunt for updates on 3rd party sites.

I suggest making the pre-update build available through Steam's beta option (Like ETS2, where you can install previous versions using that method to stay compatible with your fav mods). Though it should have been the other way round - the core update should of been released through Beta option until major issues are sorted.

 

Many routes save/load seem to be broken. I'm afraid of playing too long scenes.

 

I really hope that they (DTG) Really update the Developer Docs and Sample Models etc, to show how things are to be done properly.

And once again, Fix the Google overlay and DEM Import to use Modern Terrain formats like LiDAR etc. (this is a very easy functionality to add, Its Geospacial Information System stuff, there is loads of information on how to code this stuff on the web) Instead of them beinjg smug and showing off this ability in TSW and rubbing our face in it"

 

I just downloaded an update: I had already fixed the problem with the images on the menu, now I see that view 4 partially works

 

Partially? I've just checked but the camera is still locked and does not follow the leading vehicle.

 

Personally I agree with the Lidar - but the terrain size in TS1 is I believe 8m x 8m squares so isn't detailed enough for it, so I think it would be a lot more work than just copying it. Also though to note I would be unsure on how it would affect other routes (equally i'm not really qualified to say yes or no on that - just saying what I know - and equally this is my own opinion not of DTG )

Although Google Overlay works? (at least the last time I've seen it in TS1? )

 

Prior to this update view 4 placed the camera away from the rolling stock; now, almost always, it seems to position itself above the rolling stock at a closer distance; after the passage of the rolling stock it repositions itself but does not follow the leading vehicle

 

It's a funny thing Danny, but my GE Overlay still works without having to give them any credit card details.

In the immortal words of Hagrid from Harry Potter, "I probably shouldn't have said that...".

It would be nice to see support for other mapping service overlays, for example Open Street/Open Topo map, though I have noticed from using Transdem in Trainz, a lot of the WMS are now blocking access - notably Sabre Maps so where Trainz and Transdem are concerned you are back to copy and pasting screenshot clippings into one image and georeferencing that.

Another feature I would love to see in the editor is the ability to easily import track plans etc. as an overlay that can be scaled, for example to build a full size version of a model or miniature railway. There is no easy way of doing that at present other than trying to make a resizeable decal but I have never been able to find adequate instructions as to how to do this using homebrew utilities like 3DC/Blender and Paint Shop Pro 7.

 

The funny thing about that - people have said "google will charge you" but even with lots of people using the same code in DTG it's never asked for any money (at least from what i can see) - I think you'd need to do something really really drastic to get that to even charge for the google overlay. (don't quote me on that though )

 

I have a very small report to make, in fact I did before, just trying again
If you check the attached picture in full screen, you'll notice that the edges are a bit odd.
I also noticed it with 3D weather before.
It looks like it's rotated-stretched from (0, 0) to (1920, 1080), instead of (1919, 1079), with the bottom and right halves showing a neutral window background gradually taking over. (Because the other two edges are (1, 1080) and (1920, 1) respectively.)
It's a pretty standard silly as some old APIs require specify [from, to[ style ranges, so (0, 1920) is actually 1920 wide, instead of 1921, ending at pixel #1919. Quite possibly to make some arithmetic easier / math like (right - left = width).
It's one of those silly problems like how many years passed between -1 and +1, was there a year zero and how long.

 

After the latest update, I do not have any issues with the route or locomotive images. Good news at last.

Now to iron out the scripting issues ( and problems with dll loading ) and it should be all good.

 

Why should Google charge you, as their business model is data mining, you are the product that gets sold to companies, you're not the customer. Everything we do gets fed into the AI. Not a conspiracy theory, even the "Godfather of AI" Sir Geoffrey Hinton has just quit his job at Google because he wants to explain the risks to the public now. Ever wondered why almost everything is seemingly free to use? Remember that nothing is for free - you're paying one way or another. What Chat GPT and DALL-E are capable of is very concerning... and with the neuronal networks ever growing the AI is likely to develop a self consciousness soon.

 

Now at v73.9a where is the changelog?

 

Smokebox said the loco issues are not rooted in the lua scripts but in the engine blueprints.

 

https://forums.dovetailgames.com/threads/train-simulator-classic-update-now-live.69714/#post-648521

Image loading fixed

 

It wouldnt effect other routes, Just new ones. Even though the grid is 8x8 it would still be of great use. Because there are some places (lots) that 25 Meter is useless.

 

Hi folks - can I check if anyone else has experienced a buggette in QD scenarios with 3rd party addons (locos esp.) with sounds/smoke effects aliased to the trusty old Black5/7F (or other kuju assets)? In the past these worked just fine even though the driven loco product/provider pair wasn't kuju/railsimulator - presumably because kuju/railsimulator was a default selection regardless. In the latest version these no longer work as they used to. Now in fairness the current behaviour is more 'logical' but it does mean rework for any loco etc that had depended on this feature.

 

Are you looking into the problem Smokebox has reported with engine blueprints as well?

 

Better late than never, using non suspecting players as involuntary alpha testers ...
next time, run these changes through your trusted 3rd party developers first, to iron out the most obvious bugs
it can't be that hard, many of those reside in the UK and are readily available, willing and able to help sort out any issues pre-release

other than that, it seems the initial pitfalls have been found and will be addressed, so any future fine tuning of the GameManager dll's will result in real and visible performance and quality upgrades

 

Some days ago there was a second small update. And what will that update do with an TS-installation? I have tried to start it yet, firstly it shows some about 70MB download. Then it cancelled the download and after short time it restarts - now with for me >100 GIGABYTE!!! I immediately stopped this LOVE. Because I have no desire to download such those "update"-sizes!
I have read from several users in german forum that all freeware Updates/Upgrades (for routes and rolling stock) and (if it could be believed) some Third-Party stuff was gone. And after this selfexperience I must believe them.
So I would very much like to know in detail what this updates will do / changes - and WHY.
If this update for example initiates an verification (without my permission) and replaces all the ap-archives with new ones - only for these png-stuff-problem and deletes all of additional freeware stuff (without that ap files was changed for them!!!) - then I must say: WTF???

 

I have the latest updates. I originally uninstalled TSC and then reinstalled TSC 73.9a along with all of my Steam DLCs during the install. All of my JT, AP and Thompson DLC still work as before. I cannot comment on Workshop material as I tend to shy away from them. I have experienced the latest 64 bit version to be the most stable version I have run (I also shy away from the DirectX12 version). Yes it took a while to install.

Respectfully

 

This is what backups are made for.

 

That´s not what backups are for - to re-load them after (every?) official update that deletes without asking stuff that should not be deleted?
So if you want to do that, please do.

I can understand a little if ap´s are replaced when relevant changes are made or a player has extracted those and deleted them (why ever. I did not).
But I cannot understand if ap´s are replaced if only a png file was changed - when this was the case for last update. To redownload all stuff only for that is ridicoulus.

 

More specifically, how the updated core code uses a particular value (injector size) in the engine simulation blueprint.

 

Did you purge, stash, or otherwise meddle with your installation extensively?
Using some external tools? One of them offers such functionality, however that conflicts with Steam.
The update was tiny. For me it reported less than 1 MB but updated all of the core game files. In the range of your 70MB ultimately.
The only way to talk gigabytes is to talk DLC - assets, to be specific. Those didn't change now, but Steam may have realised that something is wrong or missing in your files.

 

I also had all my freeware sound and route updates erased on the second update a couple of days ago. It´s never done that with me before. very frustrating. Next time I´ll back up DTG, Kuju, RSC and the Content folder. It only seems to mess with modified DTG/Kuju stuff (if you buy your third party outside of Steam!)

 

Anybody having problems with quick drive AI Spawn Points? Can't access page 2 (probabilities page)

 

Old bug. We’ve asked for a fix for this for years. It happens precicely at the point when the scenario crashes the 32bit version of tsc. So my guess is that some part of the tsc code never got properly translated to 64bit.

DTG JD Who do we have to bribe to get this fixed? I’ll happily send a pizza and a redwine all the way from Denmark.

 

Thanks for the info. Found that I can access AI spawn point page properties if I run 32bit game.