I have an annoying problem with this loco. Alert is not blinking, only reflections of it can be seen on nearby cabin side. It was working for some time at the beginning after I first installed it, then after a while it blinks no more. Weird. I tried to resintall the mod, but no difference. Another problem is that it gives an error when using it in quick drive mode. Can only be used if manually put into some scenario. Does anybody have the same problems? Here is the video:
I'd like to check that, but after moving to a new PC it seems my serial key has been deactivated. I wish they'd publish that one on Steam. Nothing worse than these DRM methods which punish the paying customers, and the rutracker boys are having a laugh. Bought that two years ago - now where's my receipt again? Damn. I wasn't aware it won't work when being moved to another drive / PC etc. Glad I got The AC44 from Steam, it'll always work no matter where I move my files to. Searchlight: publish on Steam!!!!!!
I remember I read somewhere, that key could be activated twice. So second computer should be supported I think. In fact their activation system sometimes is down or something, as I had trouble even activating it for the first time... I just tried several times and finally it worked. All these protection methods are for nothing IMHO. Those who wants to buy will buy anyway. Who dont want or cannot buy will play anyway too) So developers loose nothing.
I've dropped them a message, giving time and date of activation, and my email hasn't changed. Hope they have it in their accounts still. Due to personal circumstances and changing my system, I've lost a lot of the old emails. I've bought the SS/JR SD70ACU NS yesterday. Wow, what a fantastic loco! Tomorrow, I'll move my installation from a full 1TB SSD E: to a new 2TB one F: I hope it'll still work. Then you can only hope for good support. AP is outstanding. ATS very sloppy, you can't answer to emails (I don't like being blocked from communicating when having valid issues with payware), and I have a request with reproducibly broken GoldStarTrains HST cab scripts (three scripts are missing from the installation, but AP bins get overwritten to use them) that I haven't got a confirmation from them in two weeks now. Only DTG style "We'll look into it". Instead of just submitting the scripts. Don't buy from ATS folks. As soon as an update for the Modern Cab pack is out, I'll uninstall their wonky launcher (which doesn't even let me change TS path, the button doesn't respond - you want admin rights? Bugger off!) and be sure to remove all traces of that spyware from my system. I'm an advocate for Steam, it's the most user friendly distribution platform invented, offering unintrusive DRM for a cut of the price. Searchlight released the AC44 CP on Steam - why not the rest? I'm sure they'll have a lot more customers then. Make some scenarios additionally and sell it for €25 - I'd be willing to pay that for such quality (and the assurance it'll always work, not using DRM that Gabe Newell describes as "fuelling piracy" in the end). I've paid for a loco, done nothing wrong, and now it refuses to work, because of some constraints I was not made fully aware of. As you can see, I've activated it ONCE right after puchase (key.dat) and not thrice. That was on my old PC though. For a long time hobby like TS, it should be guaranteed that the DLC will work when being moved to new installations. I'll be playing this in 10 years time - what happens when Searchlight is no more and the DRM fails to contact their servers? Needs a good hacker to remove the code from the main .out script then. INT 21H... anthony.wood You think it's possible they have stored the transaction linked to my still valid email? I cannot prove the purchase unfortunately, as the purchase was made without an account - but same email, payment via Credit Card. And when moving the files - should I delete the key to update it?
I guess the equation viz publishing on Steam vs independently comes down to do the (assumed) increase in units sold exceed the lesser margin per unit once the cut taken by Steam and DTG are factored in.
I'm talking purely from a customer's perspective - because that's what I am. VictoryWorks and Smokebox also publish on Steam, and I'm sure there's many players that are not even aware stuff like Searchlight's exists. They are leaving the market to DTM / TBT / TheLocoShop. Seen their crappy SD70ACU? And Steam is undisputedly a bigger market than some obscure webshop that people stumble across by accident. I don't like these anachronistic .dll and script driven DRM systems, because right now I cannot play what I've paid for, and I can't be sure I can play their stuff in the future. I've paid the money, so don't harass me with that technology and give the pirates the advantage of trouble free gameplay. That's the point Gabe Newell (Valve) was trying to get across: Give people a better service than the pirates do, and they will buy from you happily. That's proven by statistics. DRM like this one backfires eventually, because it is punishing the honest customer (see the Denuvo discussion).
[QUOTE="Spikee1975, post: 845785, member: 43945" That's the point Gabe Newell (Valve) was trying to get across: Give people a better service than the pirates do, and they will buy from you happily. That's proven by statistics. DRM like this one backfires eventually, because it is punishing the honest customer (see the Denuvo discussion).[/QUOTE] Exactly! All Steam content can be found in inet for free, but still a lot of people buying it in steam because it is convinient. And this DRM magic only hits customers, not the pirates. This DRM can be cracked too, like everything else, Im sure of it. If it is still not cracked means that it is not really popular. And if they publish their content on steam they will share some money with steam and DTG, but at the end they will make more money as their sales will hugely increase. Thats why steam exists. Thats why other markets exist. End TS have a very high potencial compared to TSW. Even constant sales of TSW does not help. Just look at the statistics.
Before it gets off topic, TSW's estimated market is 66% consoles. Additionally PC versions are distributed not only by Steam, but also Epic and Microsoft. So you can't compare these numbers. Probably multiplying the Steam players by four will give you a realistic number.
The story of MSTS/TS/TSW reminds me the story of Spintires/Mudrunner/Snowrunner. The first game had most deducated community and most number of mods. Most of them were free. And progressing further to Mudrunner, then to SnowRunner and now to Expeditions game have less mods, less community and of cause higher price (effective managers dont sleep). And most market on consoles. I was playing Spintires from the beginning and stopped playing these series on Snowrunner. And I never even installed Expeditions.
I understand this position, and I largely agree I think Victory Works now sell new products exclusively through Steam Sounds Supreme though. However, it has to make economic sense for the developer as well, and as consumer's I think we have to be mindful that if the numbers don't add up then they may well cease to produce content altogether. But yes, DRM that is calibrated punitively to legitimate customers is a big turn off.
I have tried SS SD40-2 on a fresh Railworks installation and alerter blinks as it supposed to blink. But after installation of AP Weather 2.0 it stops blinking again. Looks like it does not like AP. Any ideas?
Interesting. I'm sure I did have a working blinking cab indicator once, but now it doesn't blink. I made it with animated texture and one of the old shaders (addtex or tex, can't remember the name right now..) So it might be related to some of the enhancement packs I use.
Thanks, that was a good idea. This helps. If you toggle it on and off at the start of scenario blinker start to work normally. Good workaround! Do you think it is possible to fix it permanently?
From my understanding, Searchlight Simulations cannot post the SD40-2's (As well as the SD70ACU) on Steam due to those models being from Jointed Rail, and their agreement includes them NOT posted it for sale on Steam. The AC44 was posted cause that is their own model, but Jointed Rail allowed them to use their coal gondolas for that release.
However with AP installed, by AP weather not selected in scenario again no blinking even with Night Light applied Luckily it is not usually the case.
No reaction from Searchlight support, zero customer care. Be aware they could be gone tomorrow and you cannot play their DLC anymore! So, I'm gonna have to do some reverse engineering to remove the key check from the script to make the loco future proof. Success
yeah searchlight's support is a bit spotty, I don't think they check their inbox too often. That said when they do reply they're quite helpful.
Great! Looks like it was not too hard) Can you check if blinker is working on your system please? And is QD working?
QD is working here. The red alerter flash seems to need the Ctrl+L workaround. Can anyone enlighten me what the two engine versions are - the manual don't say anything about what LRC and VMV is meaning. Edit: LRC seems to be "Locomotive Remote Control". VMV a leasing company?
Both Kevin and I work full time jobs so if we don't get back to you within a couple days it's pretty normal.
Yes, it is possible to fix it permanently. I did a more correct test, driving all the locomotives separately and I noticed that on some locomotives the flashing alert sometimes works and other times it doesn't work, even with the night light applied (Ctrl+L), so it's a random bug, I'll check it , because I can decompile the *.out scripts. I even fixed the dead man's penalty reset, where it was possible to remove it without the accelerator in IDLE and also without the automatic brake lever for suppression correctly, it released above this notch, all this is wrong. According to friends who drive these locomotives, the most correct is to also have the reverser in the center to reset Penalties and Emergencies. Flashing alert with problem (Quantum Device), only light is emitted in the cabin. After the intermittent flash alert comes the continuous alert, this is correct on the device. While the JR/SS locomotives are very well made and detailed in every aspect, from visual to operational, they are also not without errors. ===== Problem solved, fixed the error.
