For someone without AP Weather, the weather blueprint "Kuju\RailSimulatorCore\Weather\default.xml" will be used. TS falls back to this one if it cannot find the requested weather specified in the scenario. So yes. As AP modifies the core blueprints, "2. Cloudy" for example will show normally for the non-AP user. In short: "1. Clear", "2. Cloudy"... etc will work normally. (Kuju\RailSimulatorCore) But: All "AP" prefixed weather will fallback to Kuju default (cloudy) weather. (AP\WeatherEP) Routewise - it depends. If you applied AP by swapping the TimeOfDay folder, no problems. If you directly specify "AP\WeatherEP" in your template route file - it will probably look off for those who don't have AP weather. Best to try yourself, just make a second vanilla RailWorks install.
Quick How to make a clean second installation for testing 1. Close Steam 2. Rename "RailWorks" folder to something like "RailWorks_Main" 3. Move "..\steamapps\appmanifest_24010.acf" to a safe location. It must be deleted from the steamapps folder, so Steam thinks it is not installed. But make sure you don't lose it. 4. Start Steam - TS will show as not installed 5. Don't install TS yet, first go to Properties -> DLC and untick everything except Academy. (Don't worry - as you have saved your appmanifest this will not affect your main install) 6. Click Install - this will only install the main files, Kuju\RailSimulatorCore assets and Academy. Now copy your route and required assets over. To switch back to main install, close Steam, swap the appmanifest files (rename the new one to "appmanifest_24010.acf.CLEAN" or something similar) again and rename the RailWorks folders accordingly. I advise to set updates for TS to "Only update when launched" - so in case an update is coming in you can swap the folders to make sure the update goes to your main install. Or just run Steam in offline mode while doing all this.
In short to the above which is a helpful answer dont get me wrong, Yes you can play a scenario that si scripted for AP weather however you wont have any weather in the scenario just clear blue skys
Likely the default behavior. It's messed up in all possible ways At best there is full moon, but the PRR RS-11 midnight scenario has glowing white fog. The NJCL ALP-45DP morning scenario (using the NEC, and all others really, including one with the GP40PH) have an early sunrise at 5am in winter, turning everything orange. Rotating the camera makes it a bit different. In one occasion I have a screenie from 2016 when it was still fine - dark and blue. I forgo sharing a bunch of screenshots yet again, but I reported this bug a million times, to no avail. I swear there is a troll among the devs. It's kinda funny how there are multiple systems related to light levels, and over the years they got separated. Street lights and windows turn on and off at a given time, which seems to correlate with my experience of seasonal variation, but in some cases it's full daylight still or pitch black already. One of the Koblenz-Trier scenarios is like that, the only thing you can see is the HUD. Also had a similar quick drive on Köln-Koblenz, very atmospheric but also dull. I partly blame daylight saving time. But noon at 2pm in winter is funny regardless.
But that's mostly because of 3D weather, which has nothing to do with AP - it is a completely independent weather engine. As some scenario have the wrong date set (e.g. 1 Jul 2010) but have chosen Winter season, Dynamic Clouds will choose the daylight upon the date and it'll be too bright in the morning.
I know it's nothing to do with AP, it was my point. One of you said a few days ago that in the absence of the selected weather, the game defaults to one of its own (cloudy and clear was mentioned). Just attaching a few things in hopes somebody talks with somebody... I agree that 2D seems better, but the Alco RS-11 scenario makes no sense in that regard. I recall you did research the night overbright thing - can't recall its name now - which turns out its intensity has been increased to 5x, possibly for testing purposes. Someone offered an old version of the configuration. Then there are the sound changes, the aggressive panning and cut out (of ambience) since TS 2021 or so. Those are the basis of my assumption that weather is trolled as well. Why trolled? Because despite countless reports and obviously terrible state, none of this is fixed. Maybe the troll is an AP / RWE agent, messing up TS so they can sell the fix. 1) This is midnight at Horseshoe Curve 2) Current TS - shot on 2020-12-19 3) Same scenario shot on 2017-03-18 - meaning the engine should be able to handle this, someone just messed it up 4) Similar experience on another scenario 5) And this is one of those funny scenario with timing mismatch
My observations: 3D Weather (Dynamic Clouds) This has changed a few years ago - settings are in RailWorks\data\SilverLining. I recall it having a blue tint which got removed at some point. Takes its daylight time and sun path from the date set in the scenario and the Latitude and TimeZone defined in the RouteProperties. The only dynamic thing here is the movement of the volumetric clouds, nice effect to see them hanging in the mountains, and the lighting getting darker when the clouds are covering the sun. 2D Weather (TimeOfDay seasons) Nothing has changed here since 2012. It's even fully compatible to older stuff - just disable DynamicLighting to have the RS weather engine. Noticeable on Cajon Pass, dark mountains in the distance are bright w/o DynLights. Also the original Bristol-Exeter looks much better of with DL disabled. (Just play the Snow on the Blackdowns and Northward Bound scenarios to see what I mean - the difference is striking. The route was made pre-TSX (DL), and so the scenarios look pretty weird with DL) Remember that each route defines its own environment, its skydome, colours, sun azimuths and different time of day environment lighting - There is no hardcoded defaults. Some routes use the old Kuju\RailSimulatorCore skydome with the "default" season file for all four seasons - latest example is Livonia sub Alexandria -Monroe. Noticeable the deep blue sky. Kansas Topeka and N-Line use 2D ToD files with way too bright ambient light. Luckily you can adjust the level ingame with the slider. Concerning HSC - The "Foggy" weather always had trouble at night, fading to white. This core weather blueprint changes colour every few minutes. I think even AP warns of using these at night, and has not found a solution either for a better weather blueprint for foggy nights - this is a limitation of the game, and has always been. Solution is to use 3D weather for foggy nights. Conclusion You cannot say that any weather is better per se. Depends on the TimeOfDay files. I find 3D weather looks better for overcast rainy days, and the sun and moon are realistically sized. But I keep it switched off most of the time as AP delivered the perfect 2D sky. Also bear in mind that the TS2019+ Adaptive Bloom shader makes things even worse - I don't know why this has not been adressed by DTG. I have uploaded the original shader in another thread. And as another side note: About 90% of all RSC/DTG routes have the "sun in the north" issue due to positive azimuths defined. I find this pretty awkward. I remember some thread where I pointed this out to Danny, and he then changed it for Tehachapi Back on topic You are abolutely safe is you use the default weather blueprints if you want to share your scenarios to people who do not have the AP pack (e.g. Workshop): 1. Clear, 2. Cloudy etc. the standard numbered weather globally available (RailSimulatorCore is the only globally available asset folder that doesn't need ticking in the route or scenario editor). HIS uses these almost exclusively in his scenario packs - 2. Cloudy works for everyone with or without AP. These original weather blueprints are changed if you install AP pack (otherwise you'd have weird fast cloud movement, unfortunately this happens without asking, so if you don't have backups reverting is not easy.). To someone not having the pack, the scenarios look alright - just with the standard appearance. Every weather blueprint directly from AP assets ("AP Fair Cloud") will NOT be available for other players - and result in using Kuju\RailSimulatorCore\Weather\default.bin (which is cloudy). Another thing: I find the Wherry Lines V1 (Steam) TimeOfDay folder to be the best alternative to AP Weather EP - because its skydome is fully compatible to the non-AP weather blueprints while having almost the same appearance as APSWEP. So for creators of routes for the workshop: use this as a requirement and route template. Best compatible 2D sky.
Just been digging this up again. The reason for this to be too bright is it uses "RW_Foggy.xml" - which, as mentioned, changes in brightness many times (it's dynamic yes). It should use "RW_Night_Foggy.xml" which is made for night. Explanation: Fog is a difficult matter - the way it appears to us is the sum of many diffuse light sources, which can't be computed easily (Even 3D weather fails at that during sunrise that's why early morning winter fog scenarios appear unrealistically bright). So fog in games uses predefined light RGB values to apply on an alpha layer. TS provides a fog weather blueprint for daytime, using white colours, and a blueprint for nighttime, defining darker fog colours (0.09). The scenario just uses an inappropriate one here, TS again is not to blame. If you dig deep enough you find Kuju/RSC already provided solutions which were simply not used by creators. Again I advise to read the developer documents, especially on the sky topic. https://sites.google.com/a/railsimd...l/blueprint-editor/weather-pattern-blueprints
You should really apply for a job at DTG and keep hacking at their stuff. Unless you already are, or were!
Honestly I've been thinking about that. About to quit my old job at a big truck manufacturer. Could spend all day on TrainSimming . Even consider to apply at Deutsche Bahn - drivers are always needed there. Problem is with being an autodidact (started on the C64 in the eighties), I have no real references and no "proper" IT education. Yet
Maybe initially on a freelance basis, so they can see what you can do? If you don’t ask, you don’t get. I seem to recall reading on the DTG website they encourage speculative approaches.
What you do is effectively advanced user level stuff. I used to mod Red Alert 2 / Yuri's Revenge myself. It needs no actual education, just a trial period, and before-after proof of the deed of what you achieved. I guess you could enjoy going deeper once trusted. I'm sort of tempted to tag half of the DTG staff right now
