I am in the process of creating a mod to add extra paths and Formations to the GOBLIN route. Things are going well and, at the moment, I have added 38 new paths, using existing markers, through the Public Editor. However the one part of the route I haven't been able to get near is East Ham depot as there aren't any markers there in any of the sidings. So I was wondering how you create route markers and whether extra ones can be added to an existing route for eventual use by the in-game Scenario Editor? Any help / pointers will be appreciated.
Hi David, First: What is your definition of markers? Do you mean the ones that show up in the placemarks menu in the viewport? But afaik these are just jumper and a help for the navigation in the Editor. I don't think they have an actual impact on the gameplay. These are entries in the kml file you can create in Google Earth and theoretically should lay in the route folders in the Map or SRTM folders. I don't know if anyone is able to modify an existing kml. But once you know how you can do it, you can create one from scratch in Google. The only thing I'm unsure about is whether you can create a new kml file for a cooked TSW route. Or do you mean "Go Via" or "Stop at Location" markers? But these are implemented within the timetable and not the kml file.
Apologies for the vagueness Robert. With my 'project' I am editing the Scenario Definition file to add additional paths using (I am calling them markers, you might call them something else) the marker names that are detailed on the route map displayed within the Editor (not the "9" in-game map). As you know these cover Platforms (Turquoise on the map), Portals (Purple) and Sidings (Orange) and can all be used as Start and Finish points in Scenario paths........because they already exist on the route. What I am curious about is whether it is possible to add extra 'siding' names to the route? (Or it might be easier to think of adding one-off 'Go-Via's). I know that when I was dabbling with Timetables you could start a TT service anywhere on the map as the process used coordinates. I'm now wondering if I could do the same with my Scenario project? So how does the name "Barking Platform 1" get in to the route? What file does it sit in? Might I be able to duplicate that file, as I have done with Scenario Definition, and then add something extra to it that would show up on the Route Editor map and, thus, be selectable within Scenario Definition? See the Ripple Lane map (no cursor) where the lowest purple line had been selected "Ripple Lane Up Tilbury". If I was to shift across to East Ham depot then you would see lots of sidings but none of them are named so I cannot access them for scenarios. See my Scenario Definition file showing the end of my scenario paths (these are all new) and the beginning of the markers section. (This second bit is what I am assuming I will need to update at some point. However there is no option to start with coordinates and clicking on the map does nothing). So that's my question. I have been able to add paths to an existing route. I have been able to add formations. Can I now add markers? Hopefully a route builder might be able to shed some light................or tell me it is impossible
Oh, I fear this goes above my knowledge. Thank you explaining it, though. I hope we had more people in the community doing custom scenarios to help you out with that. Could tag josh_the_tech , if he has an answer for you in this regard.
But won't you be naming parts of your route as you build it? ie "Robert Platform 1" or "SchulzSiding6" etc? Or does it not work like that?
For the moment, I only know how to name the "Stop at location" markers like "Stop at X - platform Y" in the timetable Editor, showing the correct city/station and platform name where I set said marker to be. But this works completely independent of something like a system which "attachs a name to a section of my track" and is rather used as guidance to where the marker is placed. As far as I'm aware, there is no way to name parts/sections of the route as shown in the route map, just a bunch of connected tracks do start and end anywere. I know that there is another blueprint system underneath which works for PIS screens and is again independent upon these "Stop at location" or "Go via" markers in the timetable Editor. I see you work on something like a ScenerioDesigner, which - until now - didn't even know does exist. I could help you if you had a marker problem with the KML file or the "Stop At Location"/"Go via" markers, but not with how you set up these markers in your ScenarioDesigner, unfortunately.
Maybe you mean this? In network edit mode, select "Edit ranges of track properties" on the left then select a range on the track where the marker should be, then on the left again under "Marker" type in a name, select a type and so on. That way you can create markers on the tracks which will show up on the route map and can be selected as service destinations. If this is what you are looking for, I don't know if you can do this on an existing route because that would mean editing the route map files I think and that doesn't work.
Thanks for the tag Robert, yeah it appears this would be adding markers to the network ribbons as Lulon describes (quoted below) Lulon is, as far as I'm aware, correct. Because the ribbons are on existing routes, I don't think you can edit them without some wizardry that the more advanced modders may know how to do. The only other thing I can think of doing, which may only work when creating a specific scenario, is adding the marker as part of a scenario scenery tile (SST). But this isn't something I've tried so wouldn't know if the editor would save this sort of change to a SST. I doubt it to be honest as network ribbons aren't stored in scenery tiles.
That sounds exactly like the sort of thing I am trying to do. I'll give it a go. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Thanks for the suggestion. If I have followed your line of thought correctly then that suggests that somewhere in every route there is a list of all the markers connected to that route. Where, within the route file structure, would these be located? (The ones that already exists as opposed to the 'new' ones that I am hoping to make).
I'm not so sure but I have the feeling the track properties along with all track data are stored in the track tiles in /Content/Map/Tiles/... (took a quick look inside my own track tiles).
Track Tiles would be an interesting answer especially as I have been rummaging through the file structure of the scenarios that actually shipped with the route. The reason for doing this was that I can remember seeing a scenario on one of the ambassador streams where the player ended up at East Ham depot. And that is where I want to go. (There were also other trains parked in the depot too). The scenario didn't look over-complicated (sorry DTG) and lurking in the various scenario folders are.......Track Tiles. So I'm wondering if that might be the way to get some extra destinations into the game. (Although in this case I guess they would be scenario specific rather than available to the editor?). I'll keep digging. (But after tea as there is a lovely Sunday dinner calling me at the moment ). Thanks again for looking.
Well I ventured in to the GOBLIN file structure, went in to the "Network Edit" section, clicked on my map and DID end up where I wanted to be. I also saw the blue marker that you illustrated in your screenshot and, I guess, had I been brave enough I could have tried to do an edit. What was scaring me though was the following. 1) There were an awful lot of other markers and editor icons in view and I was wary and clicking in the wrong thing. 2) I didn't know where this new marker info would end up. (It isn't my intention to produce a modified route more just to produce the extra file that will be read with the route). Usually I just duplicate a file and then edit that afterwards for my pak. I have had a look in the Track Tiles files but I can't really fathom out what they do. So I'm a bit stuck at the moment which is a shame. I'm not a route builder so I don't really know what many of the functions do, but I have built a timetable so I know some of the interactions between the editor, the map and editor creator scenarios. How do you know which track tile relates to which area of the map?
At least for an uncooked route, you simply can click on the ground, the respective tile is selected, go to the World outliner or Details window and note the coordinates (name) of the tile. I think there even is a monitor anywhere in the viewport, which shows the name of the currently selected tile(s). There also is a tile manager anywhere, where you can see all tiles on a grid like a chess board, but can't help out on that yet. Never used it nor I'm currently able to get in the Editor to find it.
Thanks Robert. I'll go back into the route and see if I can see anything useful looking. However, at the moment, I have jus realised that I've lost my Cook button AGAIN !!! (This Editor stability issue is really getting silly now. Nothing appears to have been changed since yesterday, when the button was there, but now I have to go back through the reinstall process again). Is the Editor still 'faulty' for everyone.......or is it just me?
I'm as honest to say, that I'll wait until DTG fixes the problem. Wasn't in the Editor in days, because I wait until DTG fixed some bugs related to signals I need to use on my route. Also there were a few other circumstances in my life why I kept away from it a while.
1) I don't think you can do anything wrong because you can't save DTG maps, so anything you "break" won't get saved anyway. 2) I think the marker info is integrated into the track tile. There is no file specifically for markers which one can copy. And adding a marker means editing a track property and that means editing the track ribbons. I don't think there is a way to edit markers without modifying existing data.
