Did You All Get An Update From Steam Yesterday?

Yeah, it would be a Steam thing if anything.

 

No Peter the game doesn't see in my ap. files that is why I have to extract them all, yes I can still play the game but what's the point if I've got no scenery assets showing?

 

Strange. It should be looking inside them.

 

Yes I know, it's a problem I have had for years I think only a new install of windows may fix as re-installing the game from fresh makes no difference, I certainly hope DTG reconsiders these changes they've made in this update as currently I can not go online as Steam wipes the contents of my files that are outside the ap. file structure.

And as an aside I hope whilst grubbing around in the core they get rid of the unprototypical track joint sounds going under bridges tunnels and level crossings.

 

That is because you have changed the file structure.
ECML-South L2P - The Game looks for ECMLSAssets.ap which are in \railworks\Assets\RSC\ECMLS
If you have decided to change your folder to something like \railworks\Assets\RSC\British\ECMLS it won't find it which is why you extracted the assets out of the AP Folder - to basically make work what you had broken.

Then STEAM does a verification and looks for \railworks\Assets\RSC\ECMLS\ECMLSAssets.ap
When it does not find them it assumes your system is corrupted and corrects it by removing the assets in the wrong folders.

If you had not bothered having you files in a different folders to what Steam expects you would not get any problems.
Not sure what you get by having the assets in different folders to what the default is?

As an experiment I loaded a scenario on a German route and looked on how long it took to load.
I stopped the game and closed it.
I then installed a new CFR Route which was about 11.Gb of route and assets.
I restarted the game and chose the same German route and scenario and the loading time was no different.

The game will only load what what you need each time
My Assets folder is 748 Gb


Peter

 

No peter non of my assets folders have been renamed only my route folders, TS will not run with all the routes in the route folder together I have nearly a TB of routes, I had to separate them out into different folders and just rename them when I wanted to play a different country. And the game still won't see inside the ap file structure in either assets or content folders, sigh.

 

Have you sent DTG a ticket btw? This is a core game engine function, something on your system is preventing/blocking RailWorks64.exe from doing it's core intended function, you need to get to the bottom of it instead of just accepting and trying to work around the issue, you are the only person that I am ever aware of having this strangely unique and rather ambiguous problem.

 

Would this be a problem for DTG to solve?
Mart says he has 1 Tb of Routes, split into usable folders (by himself). Presumably, these include 3rd party routes, etc.
Was TS ever designed to run like this?
Can Steam apply its algorithms properly?
It would be interesting to see if Mart has an install of only DTG Routes - does Railworks64.exe now work?

 

As we know the .ap is a zip archive, we also know the game engine is very capable of reading these, it's even improved the loading times for the majority of us so it's obviously reading .ap archives quickly and efficiently and it does so without issue in 99.9% of peoples installs.

But, we have one person here who's game engine isn't reading it, so no answering your first question it's not strictly their problem but maybe they understand enough of their games core archive reading construct to actually offer some assistance or clues in to what's blocking their game engine from doing this one vital core function.
Of course they may still not know or be able to help even if they wanted to, but surely sending a ticket and asking is preferable to just accepting a) my game engine is broke and it'll never get resolved without me trying a 100 and 1 unrelated workarounds and b) not to ask the one team of people who actually know their own software and programming for fear of bothering them.

My route folders are split into 3 separate folders, UK, EU and US I have a series of .bat files controlled by a master .bat file that renames the relevant folder to allow me to play whatever corner of the world I'm fancying today with just a couple of clicks and a numerical list choice.
My whole install is a measly 500 Gb and only 120 Gb of that is Steam bought content, but still my RailWorks64.exe reads the.ap files so to answer the second part of your question, I dunno but at the rate I keep adding stuff I doubt it'll be to long before I can definitively answer this.

Are you thinking his install is corrupted right from the get go of downloading it from Steam? It's very possible of course and was my first thought too tbh, but that's a scary thought because the only solution would be to uninstall TS completely and start from fresh, Ouch! but tbh this may be what DTG recommend doing anyway (without any further thought into the issue) basically re-install from scratch and then (maybe) we'll talk..
My second train of thought is something in his OS settings preventing the reading of the files, there's all sorts of security settings that could potentially throw a curve ball at the game, problem with this is a clean install won't fix it and would have been for naught.

If it was me (and I've kind of already just done this for unrelated reasons) I'd move the entire RailWorks folder to another drive completely and then get Steam to re-install a vanilla version in it's original location (or set up a new Steam library and do the fresh install there instead, whichever suits). This way you can still run your old install by clicking the RailWorks64.exe directly (or via a shortcut created from it) but you can also run the fresh vanilla install and see if the problem is now fixed, if it is then you can start re-introducing your third party content carefully and religiously testing at very regular stages. If the new install still won't read the .ap's then it's something to do with something blocking this on your system or maybe in your OS settings.

I genuinely hope Mart gets it sorted though, It would send me loopy if it was happening to me that's for sure.

 

Steve
Great advice - I seemed to recall that a Windows DEP setting could cause issues with options like the Steam Verification procedure.

 

So how do I go about assessing if that is the case? Don't forget I am a non-techie individual!
My DEP settings are for essential windows programs and apps only.

 

Just demonstrating my total ignorance!
I'm terrified of going back online now as this was not an issue for me before this update or a steam update.

Would doing this in the cmd prompt fix the issue? "assoc .zip=CompressedFolder"

Plus I thought the game threw a wobbly if it isn't associated with steam.

 

I have a ton of third-party routes yes Peter as well as a ton of DTG ones, the game crashes if all those routes were in one folder that is why like Reef I've split them off into different countries and only rename them to Routes as when the fancy takes me. I have no problem with the 64 bit .exe.

 

Has anybody tried Matt's suggestion of moving Railworks out of the steam folder, and if so does it throw a start steam error?

 

Yes I've now done this, my original fully modded and 3rd partied RailWorks folder was in E:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common, I moved that to E:\RailWorks, then in Steam I uninstalled TSC and then re-installed it and all Steam bought DLC into D:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common (which is my main Steam install location for all my other games).

I then linked my Desktop shortcut to the new E:\RailWorks RailWorks64.exe and play from that, no errors, warnings or issues at all.

Steam has to be running in the background to launch TSC wherever you have it located, that's not changed, that's part of the DRM.

 

Just my 50 cents on how I'm handling things - a bit difficult to explain, would be easier doing a video.

As reported, when purchasing new content, Steam wants to verify my whole 500 GB installation and redownload everything (because I've applied a lot of mods and fixes). No way José!

Steps to avoid trouble:

1. Install Steam to C:\Steam (or whatever drive) instead of default C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam (which is protected by Windows UAC and can be the cause of trouble if you're logged in as a Standard User)
2. Set the game properties to only Update when I launch it
3. Before making a purchase, make a copy of appmanifest_24010.acf to a safe place.
4. As soon as I see the verification process starting in the Steam Download view, pause it and exit Steam.
5. Open the current appmanifest file and note the ID of the currently downloaded (purchased but not yet installed) DLC near the bottom of the file
6. Insert this number at the end of the backed up appmanifest in the two "DisabledDLC" sections.
7. Delete contents of C:\Steam\steamapps\downloading
8. Copy the modified backup manifest to C:\Steam\steamapps (or your custom location)
9. Restart Steam, go to Game props and tick the newly acquired DLC (it should be unticked if you edited the appmanifest file correctly)
10. Now Steam will install the new content without verifying the full installation.

I know this sounds complicated, but once you've figured it out it only takes a minute to do.

I'm using different installation too, one vanilla for bugfixing and testing. Switching is done by renaming the folders (RailWorks_FULL, RailWorks_GermanRoutes etc...). As these folders are on the same drive partition, you can instantly move a lot of content between them. SteamDB is a great resource if you want to set up TSC manually.

OOMs are a thing that is very rare on my system (yes still running Windows 7 and not updating any drivers), in fact I find TSC to be very very stable, letting me do a lot of different background tasks...


Just one thing I want to add as a side note:

Despite some players claiming your progress is stored in Content\SDBCache.bin, this is not how it works. That is just a cache file - meaning it does not hold any original information but is merely a collection of data retrieved from other sources, needed for rendering the Drive menu.

Game progress is stored in Steam\userdata\<your SteamID>\24010\remote\career.xml

So if you're using different installations you can (and should) safely delete the cache files from time to time to have an updated version. Also keep a backup of career.xml if you do not trust any cloud

 

Thanks both for your invaluable help and confirmation reef. most helpful, only difficulty I'm having giving the Railworks folder a new home is a not big enough 1Tb drive, so I'm trimming my content and Assets folders to fit!
Not helped by the recent 1Gb download size of the new free HYA-B wagon pack!

 

If you have a number of repaints of particular models bear in mind that you can save space on backups by not duplicating folders such as "Bogies, Simulation, Driver" etc. Save the Cabview and Engine, the others you only need one copy of and you can then copy and drop should you need to. We all have a heck of a lot of duplication.

Edit: A number of repainters (including me) use this method to upload as it saves bandwidth and up/download time. It just means that the downloader has to do a little more than just copy and paste .Geo files.

 

Yes, I'm the king of duplication! Still, time to upgrade one of my drives to a 2Tb one.

 

FYI, if you are going Sata SSD, you can get the 2tb Crucial MX500 for about £125 at the minute. Its an old but still very well regarded drive.

 

Managed to cut my railworks folder down to 638Gb boy there was a lot of European stuff in there!

 

When I put my new drive in for Railworks I removed most of my US routes as I did not use them.

 

That must be why I don't have issues as I have Railworks on a separate drive outside of the Program 86 folder. Mine has been like that for years. If you are after a new SSD I would recommend a Samsung 870 EVO 2TB 2.5" SSD. I got this in November and I'm running TSC off of it and it loads very quickly. Scenarios load quickly too.

 

When you get a new drive I would install Steam on it. - I put mine on G:\Steam\steamapps\common\railworks
That way Railworks stays in the Steam folder and it is easier to manage.

 

Easier for Steam to verify it without your consent you mean.

 

Never has happened to me.

 

But it has to others.

 

Only because their TS files are not the same as on Steam.
To put it easy for you people. EG. You purchase a whole lot of coloured marbles from Steam and you take out all the orange ones or hide them somewhere. The following day Steam sees that the orange marbles are missing so it replaces them.

 

That's not the point, trev.

The issue is Steam never did that before unless you manually triggered the verification. It now does it automatically when purchasing new content (not all but most of the time it seems).

Just because the process does not alter your files does not mean it doesn't verify your files too, albeit without altering your installation because you've kept the orange marbles.

I like the way ETS2 it structured, with all modifications kept in a separate user folder. So file verifications never touch your mods.

If TSC had this (e.g. My Documents\Train Simulator\mod\Assets\DTG\...) it'd be a lot easier.

But then, as I've described in a previous post, there is always workarounds

 

As I have commented before it has never happened to me.

 

I'll state again - Steam does NOT have an algorithm to delete (ANY) files during a file verification - it merely REPLACES those DTG-specific files that are different from those in its master database (pre .ap files that are modified will be replaced not deleted).
Are we saying that during a STEAM game file verification say, - all files in the AP asset folder are deleted - or - what specific files/folders are deleted?
Do you need to re-install the AP version of Wherry Lines every time after a game file verification?
Are Just Trains files/folders deleted?
Are any non-DTG files/folders deleted? Which ones?
Like Trev - I have never lost a file as described here.
If it were a universal issue, not idiosyncratic - then surely the forums would be inundated with complaints - I don't see that!

 

Peter, I have just been through the Steam TSC forums for any mention of these issues that some people perceive to be happening to their version of TSC I say version because they have changed something for this to happen and not a single mention of it there and the Steam TSC forums has more post than on here.

 

It is not a perception. just because it isn't/hasn't happened to any of you doesn't mean it isn't happening to a minority, so please stop forcing your opinions as fact on those that are having/had issues. All my folders out of the ap. file structure gets wiped period. And it is steam doing that not my OS.

 

This is not true.

I've just had a verification that removed ALL of my modified .bin files. Any .bin outside an .ap that bears the same name as the original file inside the .ap WILL BE REMOVED.

I've just discovered all of my mod folders are still there, but empty. Fortunately I have mirrored the modded Assets folder and could restore everything with one click.

Even all extracted RouteProperties.xmls have been removed.

 

Thanks Torf I knew I was not on my own.

 

I've started running TS in a separate directory, following a comment from Matt and a verification doing exactly what it did to torfmeister.

 

Adding to this, I've triggered that verification myself. It did not download anything and happened at game launch.

To elaborate: I was curious what the 0-byte file "verify_cache_key" would do that is shipped with the TS core depot "24009". So I created that file in my RailWorks folder and started TS.

What happens is you do not see Steam initiating a download, but after the game is finished scanning the scenario database, the deletion of duplicate file happens - but no download.

So the purpose of this file is to ensure the RailWorks folder is clean on first run after installation in case there's leftovers from previous installations. It does not touch 3rd party stuff - only original named files which are present in the depot. Nothing gets downloaded as opposed to when initiating a full verification, which therefore is a 2-step process (delete duplicates, then redownload altered/missing files).

After exiting TS the "verify_cache_key" gets deleted.

 

So basically, this is something that is downloaded every time you start the game as a missing DLC. Can it therefore be turned off in the DLC? I'm guessing it's not there.

 

Torf
So how is it untrue? It does not appear to be Universal but idiosyncratic)
It does NOT happen to me or others, and if it affected many there would be an uproar on the forums.
What is the process of deletion?
What .bin files are being removed - is it consistent in its removal?
Do you see FOLDERS deleted too?
Is it only modified .bin files matched in the .ap files?
So as some simmers extract the .ap file, when there is an update, GFV. do they lose ALL files/folders outside the .ap file structure or just the .bin files?
It is very odd that Steam can delete some modified files but not others (reskins, scenarios (incl those extracted from the .ap file), fixes, mods, etc).

 

This file is only present after a fresh install. By creating it I triggered the verification. This does not happen and is not triggering a full verification with redownloading - only a cleanup. Don't worry.

 

Only files that have IDENTICAL filenames and paths as those in the depot - including .ap contents it seems, otherwise all my modified cab cameras wouldn't have been removed.

If a third party adds a new bin that does not replace an existing one it won't be affected.

But Steam verification CAN delete files, that was my point. 100% reproducible.

 

Sorry
GFV has been with us since for me since 2010 - yet this issue seems to have arisen from a Steam glitch/issue in the last few days.
So based on that fact you state my assertions are untrue!!!!! I don't want fellow simmers to think that I knowingly provide false information.
The Steam algorithm for some simmers may have been corrupted as that is what is seemed to happen to the OP and others.

Only based on data provided by this post and not (apparently) if it is working as it should.
How does it do it? It would be a very complex algorithm for Steam to delete some files and not others, including those files not in the master database, or outside the .ap structure.
What attributes are applied to your modified .bin files.
How long have you simmed in TSC - is this the first time you have lost modified files?
Extracted Scenarios have identical file paths, names as those in the .ap file but are not deleted.
What is the depot?

 

Copy that. I guess it's a new install, add all the extra stuff, then run the game and it deletes the extra stuff on the first go, reinstall extra stuff, it's fine.

In other words, run the game before adding extra stuff.

 

Let's sort this out.

I've been with TS since 2015. Verifications always did that to me - deleting modded copies of files that are outside the. ap. I did not have any verification for almost 7 years, it was never triggered automatically until now.

New is: Upon installation of newly purchased content a verification is triggered. Happened around the start of this thread.

Concerning your question what the depot is:

A depot is Steam's "index" and logical storage location of all the files belonging to a DLC. If one depot gets an update, it gets a new manifest, and TSC gets a new BuildID. By comparing the BuildID in your appmanifest with the one in Steam's database, Steam can see if an update is needed on your side.

Steam depots are created on request of the publisher - you can "order" these in advance. By default they bear the name ProductFiveHundred... and counting, so just a number name which can then be changed by the publisher (which DTG hasn't always done). I've already spotted the Genesis P40 depot

Example: TS core depot: https://steamdb.info/depot/24009/
List of all TSC depots (1185 - includes retired DLC!): https://steamdb.info/app/24010/depots/

To the algorithm: it's not THAT hard. Steam knows every game file through its depots, and it's no doubt that Valve employs some of the most capable software engineers in the world.

Why don't you try it yourself? Make a copy of your Railworks folder, just installing the base folder plus RailSimulatorCore and the Academy assets plus Route (00000050-000.....).

Now create the folders Assets\DTG\Academy\RailVehicles\Weather\, create a dummy file in there and name it "3D Clear.bin". Create another one and name it "test.bin".

Rename your main RailWorks folder to Railworks_MAIN, the new one RailWorks (of course), start Steam and run a verification.

The file test.bin should still be there, 3D Clear.bin will be gone. Folders will NOT be removed - only files.

Note: Back up your steamapps\appmanifest_24010.acf! You need to reinstate this in case you want to cancel downloading after this test. (Procedure: Pause download, exit Steam, delete steamapps\temp\*.* and steamapps\downloading\*.*, replace appmanifest with backup, rename folders again)

Edit: Easier and safer way:

1. Make sure Steam is not running.
2. Rename RailWorks to RailWorks_MAIN (Steam will not touch this folder)
3. Move steamapps\appmanifest_24010.acf to a backup location.
4. Start Steam, select TS -> Uninstall
5. Select only one DLC, the Academy! Deselect everything else (shame there's no "select all" option in that clunky window)
6. Install TS. Should be fairly quick.
7. Now back to creating the dummy files!
8. Verify!
9. Close Steam, rename the folders back and put your backup appmanifest in place again.

I think this thread does not lead us anywhere - there is definitely an issue, we're making assumptions, but it would be better discussing this on the main Steam forum (not the Games forum). I doubt any Steam employee reads the DTG forums..

What I would like to have as a Steam feature is the option to explicitly disable these verifications. Although for the casual player who's not that tech savvy and just wants to play, Steam handles it well. But for modders it can be a real hassle. But on the other hand, for tech support it is extremely important to make sure the user is using unmodified content, that's why the first advice is always to do a verification.

 

Yes. On the very first run, the games files are verified and then that key gets deleted.

 

In line with what you are saying about new verifications, I notice when TS loads that verifying files very briefly flashes up on screen. Not sure if that was always there, or just noticed it now in lights of these discussions.

 

No, that says updating Steam.