Important Issue About Edited Routes

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by pasictarik10, Aug 1, 2019.

  1. pasictarik10

    pasictarik10 Member

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    Hey guys. I've been playing TS for almost 5 years now, I still use the Train Simulator 2014 version. Last year, I had to move away from my parents to go study abroad which means I had to leave the game behind for the time being and move all the files (over 400 GB of content) on an external disk to avoid losing them forever. I should mention also that I specialize in route editing, I edit existing routes to make them less generic and more suitable for certain regions of the world they are trying to portray.

    Recently a friend of mine contacted me and asked me if I had a copy of a freeware non-DTG route that's no longer available online. It's a route that I massively edited for hours to make it more suitable for the region it's supposed to represent. Turns out I did have a copy and I sent him the Content file and the Assets file. However, when my friend sent me a few screenshots of the route, I noticed that all my changes were nowhere to be seen and the route looked exactly the same as it did before my massive editing job. Can someone explain to me how that's possible? Does this mean that despite saving the edited Content file of the route on my external disk, the changes I made were still somehow lost? All I did was copy-paste the edited route file directly on my external hard drive once I was transfering all the files, that's why I don't get why my friend got the unedited version of the route.

    I would really appreciate some thoughts on this.
     
  2. Tomas9970

    Tomas9970 Well-Known Member

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    You have probably used content from some other route that he don't have.
     
  3. pasictarik10

    pasictarik10 Member

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    What do you mean? What does having assets from other routes have to do with this?
     
  4. TrainSim-Daniel

    TrainSim-Daniel Active Member

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    If you used assets that you own but your friend does not they won't be able to see them when loading your creation.
     
  5. pasictarik10

    pasictarik10 Member

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    I know that but from what he showed me from the pictures, the route looked like it did when I first got it, meaning none of the changes I've made were visible regardless of whether or not he had some of the assets I used. Does that mean that the route is edited only for me but not for others if I send them the Content file?
     
  6. 749006

    749006 Well-Known Member

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    If you were to create a route that used assets from other routes anybody you send the route to would not be able to see the track, signals, buildings, scenery etc unless they had the same items that you used when you made the route.

    When you copied your route did you copy everything in the routes folder?

    Peter
     
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  7. pasictarik10

    pasictarik10 Member

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    I understand that but my point was rather that it seems like my friend got the route exactly as it was completely unedited which is what I don't get. Does that mean I will have the same issue if I copy-paste the Content file onto a new computer I plan on installing the game on?

    I copied the entire Content file from the game unto my external disk, that's all.
     
  8. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

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    If you're not seeing edits and missing assets rather than them being default then I don't think it's what the other guys are saying
    I would be checking that you definitely sent an editted version rather than the base version

    When you first started your edit process did you clone it?
    When you go into the editor does it give you the file path to the edited folder? If so can you check datestamps on items in there to prove it's the updated one?

    On your friends machine get him to go to the editor and show you the path (which should be the same) and then those same datestamps on the files when they're in situ

    In other words check things from end to end on both machines
     
  9. pasictarik10

    pasictarik10 Member

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    I don't know what exactly my friend is seeing with the Content file I sent him, I only saw that looking at the screenshots he took it looked like the route before I edited it. I have no access to the editor right now or to the game as a whole for another 3-4 months at least. I did not clone the route, no. I can always send the route Content file here for you guys to check if you want.
     
  10. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

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    Sending it to us won't show us what you're seeing on your machine.
    You can do a basic datestamp check without the editor to make sure it's the right thing you're sending and the right thing he's looking at
     
  11. pasictarik10

    pasictarik10 Member

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    How do I do that knowing I don't have access to the game right now?
     
  12. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

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    The file system... If you go to the files you sent they should have files dated when you updated them rather than when they were downloaded. From what you have been saying it is likely that you have sent the original route rather than the editted route
     
  13. pasictarik10

    pasictarik10 Member

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    I'm going to check the dates then. Under which label can I find the dated files? There is MixMap, Networks, RouteInformation, Scenarios, Scenery, Terrain and RouteProperties.
     
  14. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

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    Did you edit the scenery or terrain? I would start with what you know you editted and work back from there.
     
  15. pasictarik10

    pasictarik10 Member

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    All I ever did on the route in terms of editing was add buildings, route objects, sound effects and cars so I guess that falls under scenery. In the scenery folder, there are a total of 155 BIN files. 51 of those files are dated November 15th 2017, the other are all dated after that with the last ones dated August 20th 2018 (34 files out of 155). All the main folders (scenery, networks etc.) are dated September 7th 2018 which is the date when I copy-pasted them on my external hard-drive disk, I remember that. That's all I know.
     
  16. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

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    When was the route folder created?
     
  17. pasictarik10

    pasictarik10 Member

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    The main Content file for the route is dated September 7th 2018 as are all the folders inside the Content file except for RouteProperties which is dated August 20th 2018. All the Content files for the other routes have the same date (September 7th 2018) because that's when I copy-pasted them onto my external disk. The freeware non-DTG route itself that I edited was created at some point in 2012 by someone else.
     
  18. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

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    It does sound like the right version, but without an editor you obviously can't check
     
  19. pasictarik10

    pasictarik10 Member

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    On another forum, it was explained to me that my friend doesn't have the required assets to fully exploit the changes I've made hence the route reverts back to the original untouched version even if I send him an edited version. "Look at it as layers. The first layer is the original route and the changes are level two. If the user doesn't have the required files or assets for level two then the game defaults to layer one". What do you make of that?
     
  20. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

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    Given I have had routes where missing assets didn't show up I would say it's a possibility but not my experience, though those were original routes rather than amended so your friend's experience may BE that
    I do wonder what he would see in HIS editor, whether it would show the revisions even with missing assets (locations and asset tags would still be in the files somewhere even if in a revision file)
    Someone more experienced in route editting would be more able than I on that one
     
  21. pasictarik10

    pasictarik10 Member

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    Thank you still, you helped me out a lot so far. I guess also I want to try and avoid losing edited routes once I make the transfer on my new computer and reinstall the whole game. What seems weird to me is that the whole route would just revert to the original unedited version once it's shared with someone that doesn't have all the required assets instead of just showing up as partly edited but with those little white bottles on the terrain indicating there are missing assets.
     
  22. nachman.pecos

    nachman.pecos New Member

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    When you first started your edit process did you clone it?
    When you go into the editor does it give you the file path to the edited folder? If so can you check datestamps on items in there to prove it's the updated one?
     
    Last edited: Sep 3, 2019
  23. pasictarik10

    pasictarik10 Member

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    I didn't clone the route, no. I never clone the routes, I don't I've ever even tried to do it. I have no access to the editor right now so I cannot verify that.
     
  24. 749006

    749006 Well-Known Member

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    If you do not clone your routes - which you do in the Editor - then any update from Steam would overwrite it.
    You can clone both the routes and any scenarios at the same time.

    Peter
     
  25. ARuscoe

    ARuscoe Well-Known Member

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    to add to this, so would a verification of the files.
    So if your friend has imported the route and then either updated or verified his files then it would restore to the default.

    To avoid this he could go into the editor, clone the route then note the folder he has cloned into and then import your files into that folder. Because Steam wouldn't recognise the route folder it won't overwrite it
     
  26. pasictarik10

    pasictarik10 Member

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    I have never cloned the route before so Steam has already overwrote changes and more than likely I lost all the editing but we'll see when I finally have access to the editor.
     

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