Route_Riter Help PDF version

Route-Riter Introduction
Foreign Language versions of Route-Riter
When you first run Route-Riter it Defaults to the English language. However foreign language files are included in the
Route_Riter folder, named Lang_xxxxx.txt where xxxxx is the language name. This name appears in the Languages
menu. The Lang_English.txt file may be translated into any required language and as long as the text strings are not
much longer than those in the English .txt file should work OK in Route_Riter.
If any users translate these files into their own language, would they kindly send me a copy so that it can be included in
future releases of the program.
Route-Riter has been written with two different users in mind:1. The average end-user who has downloaded routes from the Internet, or bought 3rd Party add-on CD-ROMs.
During the construction of a route, many files are added to the Shapes and Textures folders, and to the Routes .ref file,
but they are never used. Route-Riter goes through the Route's various folders and files and ascertains which Shapes
,Textures amd Sounds are actually being used and deletes all unused Shapes, Textures, Terrain Textures and Sounds
from the Route. A saving of several hundred megabytes can be made on a large route.
(Route-Riter is particularly relevent if you have a route which uses a batch file to copy shape/texture files from the
default routes, as these batch files tend to copy everything, whether used or not!! - However, please note that if the
batch file is named 'InstallMe.bat' then the route has been produced using Route-Riter, so further compacting should
not be possible).
2. The authors of Routes for Microsoft Train Simulator.
For Route authors, the purpose of Route-Riter is to get a route ready for distribution. During the construction of a
route, many files are added to the Shapes and Textures folders, and to the Routes .ref file, but they are never used in
the final release. This program goes through the Routes various folders and files and ascertains which Shapes ,Textures
and Sounds are actually being used and deletes all unused Shapes, Textures, Terrain Textures and Sounds from the
Route. A saving of several hundred megabytes in the distribution package can be made.
Route-Riter has the ability to write an installation batch file for your route. This option checks each Shape and Texture
file used by the program and looks to see if the same file is already installed in the default routes, if so it deletes the file
from your route and adds a line to the batch file. Once the user unpacks your route, the file InstallMe.bat will be in the
main folder of your route. Clicking on this InstallMe.bat will copy all the necessary files from the default routes into the
new route, restoring it to its original state.
An extra button 'Delete Raw' has been added from v2.0 on. Clicking this button will delete all *e.raw and *n.raw files
from the Route's Tile folder, (these are re-built when the route is first run, so do not need to be included in the
distribution package - However, please note that *e.raw and *n.raw files in the LoTiles folder are not re-built
automatically by MSTS and must not be deleted). Similarly any backup (*.bk) files in the Route's main and World
folders are removed as they are not needed by the end user.
The ENVfiles folder may optionally be deleted from the route and added to the InstallMe.bat file. If the user has
SkyConductor or similar environment utilities, they will in any case have to re-run them to add the new environment to
the route.
Credits:
Many people have been involved in the final testing of this program and many suggestions have been made, especially
in the Train-Sim.com forums and the forums at UKTrainSim.com. However special thanks go to the following:Jim Ward, the author of EZStuff4.bat for his help with batch files and his knowledge of the layout of the MSTS file
system. (This version of RR also includes the full version of Jim's 'stuffitpack' utilities for route builders.
Michael Vone, the author of the Step by Step guide to Route Building (from Abacus).
Bill Burnett, the author of the best route - Seaview2 ?
Malcolm Wright, the author of TGA2 Tools, the best graphics utility for writing me a new version of his
ACEComp.exe compression utility.
Okrasa Ghia - author of xtracks for allowing me to use his .DLL for use in compressing/uncompressing files and help
with its use.
Carl-Heinz Rive - Author of TsUtils for permission to include it with Route-Riter
Scott Miller for permission to use his Aceit graphics utility.
Runar Oudmayer, for the Norwegian language files.
Johan Hommes, for the original Dutch language files and Dutch help file text.
Dick Van der Hoven for the latest Dutch language files
Stig Christensen for the Danish language files.
Javier Torres for Spanish language Help files
OldieDaddy in France and Rudi Heilig in Germany for all their help in testing v5 and for testing Rudi's German
language files. Aymeric Romani for the French language files and the French help files
Martyn Griffin for his .S/.T/.W file compress/uncompress routines.
Fredrik Qvarfort for his CRC checking routines.
Stuart Williamson for his help with sound files and AI locomotives
Paul Gausden for allowing me to use code samples from his Shape File Viewer and his trainlib.ocx, and for a great
deal of programming assistance.
Steve Nicklin for 3D programming code and assistance
Bob Latimer for beta testing and a number of useful suggestions.
Dave Charles author of TsTools for his MSTS to Lat/Long conversion routine.
Yuri Sos for his great Australian web site http://msts.steam4me.net and for hosting all of Sniper's Tutorials (among
others).
The ZIP routine uses code from Franky Braem's SAWZipNG suite of programs, used with great thanks.
All of those who have sent in bug reports and suggestions.
All those route authors who have sent me CDs with early versions of their routes for test purposes.
And finally I must not forget the literally thousands of users who have downloaded the program and sent in useful
comments.
Aliasing Sound and CabViews
The Route-Riter Unicode text editor has now been modified to allow for automatic aliasing of Sound (.SMS) and
CabView (.CVF) files.
To use this option, select a .eng file (in this case I have selected "A1_Kestrel.eng"), and click the MSTS File Utils tab
and click the 'Edit Unicode' button. This will bring up the editor as above, and the word 'Sound' will appear in the
search box. Click search and you will be taken to the first Sound entry. If you wish to change this entry, Highlight it as
above (including the quotes if they are there), and click the 'Alias Selected Text' button.
Then use the dialog box to select a new sound file to be aliased, in this case 'fscoteng.sms'. The editor then changes as
follows:-
Repeat this process for the Cab sounds, then change the Search Box from Sound to Cabview and find the Cabview
entry (you may have to go to the top of the file to commence this search), and repeat as above, but this time aliasing a
CabView (.CVF) file.
Finally, click 'Save' to save the updated .eng file - Once this has been tested, you should be able to delete the Cabview
and Sound folders from the Engines folder (however, there may be several locomotives in a folder, so they would all
need to be aliased before you remove these folders).
Checking Activities ?
In Route-Riter v6, there are now ten features under the Activities/Stock tab, namely, Check Activities, Check/Fix
Rolling Stock, Check Selected Activity, Quick Consist Check, Check Consists, and a group of options to Correct
names in ENG/WAG/CON/ACT/SRV files and to fix errors in .SMS, .CVF and .SD files
A. Correcting Names in the ENG/WAG/CON/ACT/SRV files
Following a lot of tests, the authors of the Conbuilder utility have discovered that especially when running Windows XP
SP2, there may be problems when running activities where the Case of the engine names/wagon names and their folder
names differ, and where they differ in the Consist and Activity files. Furthermore if the TrainCfg entry in the consist file
and the Train_config entry in the corresponding Services file differ, similar problems occur.
This may manifest itself in MSTS with Locomotive names etc in the simulator appearing in the list as Unknown.
To correct this, I have added these 5 buttons to Route-Riter v6, they should be used in order, i.e. Press the Fix ENG
button first and so on through to the Fix .SRV button. Total time to finish this procedure may be quite long depending
on how many services, consists, etc you have. When each section finished, a report of any errors found (missing files
etc) will be produced.
B. Fix .SMS Files
If you check your Rolling-Stock using the Conbuilder program with the 'Check Sounds' box ticked. You are liable to
get hundreds/thousands of errors listed (I got 6500 sound errors alone). Such errors are often caused by the .sms files
used by many rolling-stock modellers being very badly put together, especially where the sounds have been aliased to a
common.sound folder or even to another locomotive's Sound folder.
Clicking this button brings up the List of Filtered Files screen, selects all the .sms files, and will attempt to fix all the
.sms files for you. A complete fix is unlikely, but in my case, I managed to reduce the number of errors by some 75
percent, making correcting the rest of the errors manually a lot easier.
C. Fix .CVF Files
If you check your Rolling-Stock using the Conbuilder program with the 'Check Cabs' box ticked. You are liable to
get hundreds of errors listed (I got 250 cabview errors alone). Such errors are often caused by the .cvf files used by
many rolling-stock modellers being very badly put together, especially where the cabs have been aliased to a
common.cab folder or even to another locomotive's CabView folder.
Clicking this button brings up the List of Filtered Files screen, selects all the .cvf files, and will attempt to fix all the .cvf
files for you. A complete fix is unlikely, but in my case, I managed to reduce the number of errors by some 75 percent,
making correcting the rest of the errors manually a lot easier.
D. Fix .eng/.wag/.sd/.con/.act/.srv files
There are several common errors in these files, mainly caused by Engine and Wagon entries having different CASE.
Using each of these options in turn, 1 thru 6, Route-Riter will fix all these case problems, along with some other
common problems in these files.
It has been suggested that problems may occur with .SD files if there is only a single carriage return/line feed between
the .sd file header and the first line of text. I have been unable to reproduce such problems, but just in case, clicking this
button will fix all .sd files.
Note: You must carry out the 'Check Activities' option before you attempt to Check the Consists as both operations
are interdependent (The Check Consists button does not appear until the Check Activities has been run). However
you can run the 'Quick Consist Check' option at any time.
1. Check All Activities
To Check Activities, click the 'Check All Act' button on the main screen, this operation may take several minutes,
depending upon the speed of your processor and the number of Activities and Consists in your MSTS setup. Upon
completion of this action, a screen similar to the following will appear:-
This screen acts like most spreadsheets, e.g. Clicking on column headings will sort on the column. Dragging the
column separator in the header bar will change the column widths. Left clicking on any item will select it (a blue
border appears around selected items).
The button 'Change Sheet Format' will group all identical names in a column into a single entry for that name.
Any items missing from a column will be coloured in Red. e.g. In the picture above, there is a missing Traffic file and a
missing Path.
Click on any Activity and a list of all loose consist items will appear in the Right Hand window. ( These are
Locomotives and Wagons which are used in the activity but not included in a Consist file. This would normally be
rakes of wagons in sidings and odd Locomotives standing in Engine Sheds etc). Similarly, clicking on any Consist will
show you a list of all the rolling-stock listed in the Consist. (Once again, items in RED are missing).
Clicking the Print button will take you to the Print Screen.
2. Deleting and Moving Activities, Consists etc.
If you Left-Click on any Activity or Consist to select it, then Right-Click on the same item, you will see a pop-up
menu of options you can carry out on that file.
Click the box beside any files you wish to delete (or move) (or click Select All for all files).
Be very careful with these options, deleting an Activity along with its Consist, Service, Path and Traffic files may cause
problems with other Activities. In many cases, the same Paths and Traffic files are shared among other Activities on the
same route. Consist files may on the other hand be referred to by any Activity in any Route. You can check this by
Sorting the various columns to see which Activities call which Consist etc.
It is safest to delete or move just the Activity, then using the 'List Unused Services' at 6. below, check if the
services/paths/traffic and consists are being used elsewhere, if not, then you can move them as well.
3. Replace Rolling-Stock
If you click on any Activity, any Rolling-Stock included in loose consists within that Activity, e.g. rakes of wagons
standing in sidings etc. will be listed in the right hand column. Similarly clicking on a Consist will display a similar list of
the contents of the Consist. If you click on any item of rolling stock in this list, Route-Riter will bring up a list of all
Locomotives or all Wagons, from which you may select an item to replace the one you wish to replace:-
Note that Route-Riter now checks couplings, brake system types and the type of rolling-stock, so changing wagons or
locomotives is simply a matter of selecting a suitable item. As shown above, the couplings, brakes and type of the
selected rolling-stock item are shown on the top line.
Note: Where a Locomotive type is shown as Engine * the asterisk denotes it requires a tender.
4. Replacing Consists within an Activity
If the Consist for your Activity is missing, you may change it by Selecting the Consist, then Right-Clicking it. A screen
similar to the above for replacing Rolling-Stock appears on which you can choose an alternative Consist.
5. Check/Fix Rolling-Stock
Clicking the Check/Fix Rolling Stock button on the main Activities screen, or the Check Consists button on the
Activities screen brings up a screen similar to the following (However note that the Check/Fix Rolling Stock option
does not show which Consist(s) each item is included in). :-
The rolling stock's coupling type, brake type and stock type are all listed..
This screen includes three tables:1. Shows the name of the Consist or Activity file, the path name and the name of the rolling stock item. Clicking on the
Consist header will group all items from the same consist together, whereas clicking on the Rolling-Stock header will
group all the locomotives and wagons together. This gives you a quick means of verifying which consist(s) or activities
reference a particular locomotive or wagon.
Rolling stock which is not currently used in any activity or consist will have the first column blank. You can list only the
unused stock by clicking the appropriate button.
2. The second table lists any rolling stock items which are listed in a Consist or Activity file, but which do not exist in
your Trainset folders.
If you have rolling stock for which you wish to ALTER THE COUPLING TYPE or ALTER THE BRAKE
SYSTEM, then this can be done from this screen.
To alter the couplings click on the word Chain or Automatic in the appropriate row to select the item (If you hold
down CTRL while left clicking, you can select several wagons to change). Then right click on one of the selected items
and you get the option to swap the coupling type from Chain to Automatic or vice versa. Bar couplings can not be
altered.
To alter the Brake System Type, proceed as above selecting a loco or wagon, however only one can be selected at a
time. When you right click on the BrakeSystem Type, a list of Brake Types appears from which you can select one.
Clicking OK will then change it. The changes appear on your screen, and the .eng or .wag files are altered accordingly.
(You can not alter the Brake System Type of stock which shows no entry, these are usually old wagon types which
had handbrakes only).
a. Fix UK Handbrakes
This changes the, mainly UK, wagons which have no brake system apart from a handbrake, to add vacuum_piped
brakes. This allows the wagons to be used correctly in loose activities and allows them to be shunted etc.
This fix is not prototypical, but at lease allows you to use the game without problem.
6. Fixing Rolling Stock
When you click the Check/Fix rolling stock button, the program now checks each .ENG and .WAG file in which it
reads the WagonShape ( scotsman.s ) type of entry, and checks that the shape file and shape description (SD) file
corresponding in this case to scotsman.s exist. It then checks the .SD file to ensure that the .SD file actually points to
the correct .S file (many downloaded items are incorrect in this manner). If this is incorrect, it is automatically repaired
and a note posted to the user).
7. List Unused Services
Also on the main Activity screen is a 'Unused Services' button, this lists those services/paths/traffic/consists which are
not called by any Activity within your routes.
Clicking on the Consists column will list all items within the consist in the right-hand column.
Any item in the Services/Paths/Traffic/Consists columns may be selected by left-clicking on it (multiple selections are
possible as usual be either Shift-Clicking, or Ctrl-Clicking depending on whether the required selections are contiguous
or not). Once an item is selected, you may then right-click on it and you are asked if you want to Delete or Move it. If
you select Delete, then it is Deleted immediately. If you select Move, then it will be placed in a folder named
SpareServices (or SparePaths etc.) in your route.
If at any time you wish to return the Spare items to your route, navigate to the SpareServices folder in the left hand file
window and the Services folder in the right-hand file window. Select the reqired files and in the General Utils window,
select MOVE and they will be moved across for you.
8. Check Selected Activity
This option allows you to select any activity in any route and will give you a detailed breakdown of all consists, loose
consists and any missing consists in that particular activity. The data may be printed, or saved as CSV or Tab
delineated data for import into Excel spreadsheets. You can also print a list of rolling-stock required by the Activity
(both in consists and in loose consists).
9.Package Activity
I have now added an option to the Selected Activity screen 'Package Activity' - Once you have selected an activity,
say MyActivity.act, select it as above and you will see the screen as above. Click the Package Activity button and you
will see a file-requester which already has the filename filled in as MyActivity.zip - you can change this if required and
of course you must select the folder you want to save the activity in (note this is a .zip file and not a .apk file such as
MSTS uses, this gives the user the opportunity to see what he has downloaded before he installs it on his PC).
As well as saving the Activity/Services/Paths/Traffic/Consists used, RR also includes a file
MyActivity_RollingStockRequired.txt which lists everything the user will require to run the activity. You may also add a
text file of your own, named MyActivity.txt - If you place this in the Activities folder along with MyActivity.act, then
RR will add it to the .zip file - Both these text files will be unzipped into the users Route\MyRoute folder.
The Filtered Files Screen
1. View Selected Files
Displays each selected file in order. .S files and .ACE files are shown in appropriate viewers. Text files are shown in a
text editor.
2. Select All/Unselect All
Selects or unselects all files. (To select blocks of files use Shift-Click, to select non-contiguous files use Ctrl-Click).
3. Print Selected File List
Prints a list of all selected files.
4. Save Selected File List
Saves a list of all selected files.
5. Compress Selected .S files
Compresses all selected .s files which are not currently compressed. Saves room on your hard-disk, and should load
quicker.
6. Convert Selected files to DXT1
DXT1 is the native file format for DirectX, so is the most efficient method of saving files for MSTS. DXT1 files are
often around 10pct of the size of other .ace files. This option allows you to save all selected files in DXT1 format
where this is possible (32 bit and 1024*1024 files are not changed as they can not be modified by this program).
7. Compress Selected .ACE files
This option uses a method devised by Paul Gausden for further compressing .ACE files (including DXT1 files) - This
uses the Zlib algorithm as used in .zip files and produces extremely compact routes.
8. Print/Save Pictures of .S files
This option has two purposes. Firstly it runs a customised version of Paul Gausden's Shape File Viewer 1.2 which
automatically saves a .jpg picture of each selected shape ( .S ) file. The files are given the same name as the shape file
but with the .jpg suffix. At the same time, a document is produced which displays 6 of these pictures per page as
shown below. This document may be printed or saved.
9. Save Selected File List
This option is as it says, it saves the list of files which you have selected.
The remaining buttons on this screen are automatically operated when pressing the equivalent buttons on the
Activities/Stock tab. However, they can be used to fix single .ENG, .SMS etc files
Getting a Route ready for Distribution
As well as compacting a route to save space on your hard-drive, Route-Riter may also be used to produce a much
more compact route suitable for distribution either via the Internet or on a CD-ROM.
Important Notice
If you use Route-Riter to produce a Commercial or Payware route, then it is a condition of use of the program that
you send the author a copy of the completed route. You are receiving this program as freeware and using it to
produce income for yourself, so under the circumstances, I think this is only fair.
Many authors have already sent me a copies of their routes, but many have not.
My address is:- Mike Simpson, 9 Maxwell St., Penrith, NSW 2750, Australia.
To process a route for distribution, Compact the route as per the instructions given here, then proceed as under:(If you have just re-started Route-Riter, double click on your route to select it, then click on 'Confirm Route' first Once your route has been compacted, there is no need for you to go through the Compact procedures again).
1. Delete Raw
Selecting this button, this will remove all *e.raw and *n.raw files from your route's Tiles folder. This button also
deletes all *.bk files from the Route's World folder and all *.bk files from the Route's root folder. The raw files are
re-constituted the first time the route is run and this saves a considerable amount of room in your distribution files. This
option also removes any orphan .sd files and .thm files from your Shapes folder.
2. Write .bat
This option checks each Shape and Texture file used by the program and looks to see if the same file is already
installed in the default routes, if so it deletes the file from your route and adds a line to the batch file. Once the user
unzips your program, the file InstallMe.bat will be in the main folder of your route.
When the user clicks on this InstallMe.bat, it will copy all the necessary files from the default routes into the new
route, restoring it to its original state.
Notes:
1. This option is only for use in packaging a route, do not click this button 'Just to see what it does' - It will delete half
the shapes/textures in your route. However if this does happen, you can restore everything by running the
InstallMe.bat file which will have appeared in your routes main directory!!
2. Several textures supplied by Kuju appear in several of the default routes, but although having the same name, they
are not identical. These include terrain.ace, us2autofir1.ace, us2autofir2.ace and various files beginning jp2auto*.ace,
along with the Acleantrack*.ace files.
Route-Riter carries out a CRC check on the files in your route and compares the result with a CRC check of files with
the same name in the Default routes. The Default files are only added to the InstallMe.bat file if the CRC is
identical (and thus the files are identical).
If a file is discovered which has the same name as a file(s) in the Default routes, but none of which have a CRC which
match, you are given the option to have the file added to the InstallMe.bat, or to keep the version which is on your
machine. (This might happen if you have altered a texture file, but not changed its name. In which case you should
elect to keep the altered version and distribute it with your route).
3. Note that if you have altered the Default files in any way in your route (including compressing/uncompressing them,
or changing textures by Re-mipping them with utilities such as Remipit), then the Default files are no longer identical to
the original Kuju supplied files and they will not be added to the Installme.bat file and will have to be distributed with
your route intact.
Note: Environment Files - When you run the Write.bat option, you are asked if you want to include your EnvFiles or
for the batch file just to copy over the users Envfiles from his/her local Template\Envfiles directory. If you have added
special Environment files to the routes .TRK file, then you must distribute them, or alter the .TRK file to show the
Default EnvFiles. Otherwise 'World failed to Initialize' errors will occur.
3. Compress .ACE as DXT1
Use this option to Convert all the .ACE files in your Route's Textures/Terrtex/Envfiles directories into the DXT1
format.
DXT1 formatted .ace files are much more compact than other compressed .ace files, and DXT1 is the native format
for DirectX, so they load faster in MSTS. However this more compact format does come with a slight reduction in
sharpness of the file in some cases. In this version the files are converted 'in situ', so before using this option, you
should make a backup of the route so that any unsatisfactory textures can be copied back.
Note that acleantrack1.ace and other track and textures are skipped by this routine.
4. Compress .W
Use this option to Compress all the .W files in your Route's World directory. This not only saves a lot of space on
your drive, but allows the files to load quicker.
5. Compress .S
Use this option to Compress any uncompressed .S files in your Route's Shapes directory. Most shape files are
already compressed, but some may not be and this option compresses them all.
Warning: Make sure you test the route fully if you have compressed all the files. I have found the odd
shape which will not load when the texture for it has been compressed.
6. Distributing your Route.
Once you have carried out all the above procedures, you can then add your route to a .zip file ready for distribution
either via Internet or CD-ROM, or alternatively you can use an installation program such as the Clickteam
InstallMaker which will produce an .exe file ready for installing your route directly into the users MSTS folder.
Route-Riter allows you to prepare your own .zip files from within the program. Just select the route which you have
prepared, and click the 'ZIP Route' button. You will see a screen similar to the following on which you have the option
to prepare it as a single .zip or you may select the box to give you multiple-sections if it is a large route and you
wish to make it easier for users with slow modems to download it.
Route-Riter allows you to select the maximum size for each section, say 10 megs. All sections except the final one will
be identical in size unlike previous versions which used the same number of files in each section, but could vary
tremendously in size. The zip files will be named as follows:MyRoute.z01
MyRoute.z02
etc
MyRoute.zip - This is the final file and contains the index to all the other files - This zip method is known as 'Spanned
Zip Files'
Spanned zip files may be unzipped using recent versions of WinZip (v8.1 or later) or by using the MyZipp option in
Route-Riter v4.1.0 or later, or WinRar v6.10 or later. (Note: The unzip option built into Windows XP is old
technology, and will not unzip spanned zip files). Only the MyRoute.zip file requires to be unzipped, it is the index to
the whole archive and unzipping MyRoute.zip unzips the whole archive. The route should be unzipped into the user's
Train Simulator\Routes folder.
Important Note: There have been a lot of postings on the various train-sim forums regarding some users inability to
unzip these spanned zip files. Problems occur when some sites (and some browsers) rename the files. e.g.
uktrainsim.com adds a UKTS number to the start of each file, and IE6 adds a .zip suffix to the end of the first
filename, e.g. MyRoute.z01.zip - These are easily corrected by experienced users, but cause problems for beginners.
I therefore recommend that once you have packaged your route, say as:MyRoute.zip
MyRoute.z01
MyRoute.z02
That you then use WinZip to re-zip all three files as :Myroute1.zip
Myroute2.zip
Myroute3.zip
(Remembering to place a ReadMe.txt file in MyRoute1.zip advising the downloader to unzip all 3 files into a
temporary folder such as c:\temp before zipping it up, so that your users will have any necessary instructions for
installation).
Note: This zip routine now correctly uses file paths, and they will be saved in the .zip file as YourRouteName\Shapes
etc. Thus all sections of the route can be unzipped directly into the Train Simulator\Routes folder and the correct route
structure will be set up.
7. Building an Update Patch for your route.
Route-Riter includes an option to automatically build an Update Patch for your route. Say you have already distributed
v1 of your route and you decide to build v2, v2 may include most of the shapes etc already distributed in v1, so it
makes sense to distribute a patch to those with v1 to allow them to update it to v2 without needing to
download the whole thing again.
Note: This update will convert the older version of your route on the users machine to the newer version, so the
original version is no longer available for them to use. However if they require both versions, they can make a copy of
the earlier version to a temporary folder and return it once the new version is installed. Assuming that the second
version has a different name to the original, then both may be used without problem.
Proceed as follows:1. I assume you have already built two distribution sets of your route, for examples I will use Seaview 2 and Seaview
3. Unzip both archives into a temporary folder, say c:\temp. So once unzipped you should end up with
c:\temp\Seaview2 and c:\temp\Seaview3. Do NOT run the installme.bat batch files for these routes.
2. Run Route-Riter and select 'Make Update' on the front screen, You will then see a form and a message advising
you to select the old version of your route, i.e. Seaview2 in either directory listing. Navigate to Seaview2 and make
sure that when you double click on it that it appears in the top box of the form. Click on OK. Then do the same with
Seaview3, again making sure it appears in the lower box. Click OK then a final set of buttons appear, OK and
Cancel. Select OK and your distribution patch will be sent to c:\temp\Seaview3_Patch.
3. The Seaview3_Patch folder will include a file 'Suggested_ReadMe.txt' which you should edit to refer to your route
and to include any special instructions. This file includes all installation instructions needed by your users.
4. Zip up the Seaview3_Patch FOLDER and distribute it as usual - i.e. In Windows Explorer, right-click on
Temp\Seaview3_Patch and under WinZip choose 'Add to Seaview3_Patch.zip' (Actual method depends on how
your computer is set up and which zip program you use, but in all cases make sure you zip up the whole folder, not
just the contents in it.
Once they have tested the route in MSTS, they can run Route-Riter to remove any spare files left behind from v2.
8. Back Up Route (during the building of a route)
This button automatically backs up your route's World/Tiles/TD and Root folders (the ones which the Route Editor
alters) into a folder named MyRoute\8-May-2004-1109 i.e. The route name with the sub folder being the date/time it
is saved. You can use this frequently while building a route and if anything goes wrong, then revert to one of the earlier
dates.
9. Activate/Deactivate Routes
I have been a regular user of the program Routes On/Off which presents you with a list of routes in your MSTS
installation, and allows you to turn any of them on/off by ticking a box alongside the route's name. This is achieved by
changing the route's .trk file name to .off, e.g. Europe1.trk becomes Europe1.off - This allows MSTS to load much
quicker as it does not read those routes with the .off suffix.
However this has the disadvantage within Route-Riter of rendering the routes unsuitable for Checking/Compacting
etc. I have therefore added this option to Route-Riter which will enable you to check which routes are available for
use (it also shows which are saved in TrainStore). Routes may be reactivated from this screen except those held by
TrainStore.
YOU MUST BACK UP THE ROUTE FOLDER BEFORE TRYING THIS
PROGRAM AT ALL !!!!
Please advise me of any difficulties - Any comments / Suggestions will be appreciated. :Click here for file utility instructions
Compressing a Route
Miscellaneous Operations
Route-Riter Graphics Operations
1. Convert Selected files to DXT1
DXT1 formatted .ace files are much more compact than other compressed .ace files. However this does come with a
slight reduction in sharpness of the file in some cases. This new option converts all the selected .ace files to DXT1
format (If already DXT1, they remain that way). In this version the files are converted 'in situ', so to be safe you should
make a backup first.
Note that acleantrack1.ace and other track and tunnel textures, those which have been mip-mapped and transfer
textures should not be compressed with DXT1 or you may encounter moire effects on objects using these textures
within MSTS.
2. Compress all .ACE files in selected folder
Uses Zlib to compress all ACE files in the selected folder. This option uses new code by Paul Gausden which actually
increases the compression of DXT1 files giving a very compact route.
For best compression, convert .ace files to DXT1 as above, then use this option to further compress all the files.
3. ACE to TGA
Converts all selected .ace files to .tga format - Select the .ace files in the left hand folder and the converted files will be
sent to the folder listed in the right hand window.
4. ACE to BMP
Converts all selected .ace files to .bmp format - Select the .ace files in the left hand folder and the converted files will
be sent to the folder listed in the right hand window.
5. Make ACE
Converts either Bitmap (.bmp) or Targa (.tga) files to .ACE files for use within MSTS. This option allows you to
convert multiple files at once. The .ACE files will appear in the Route_Riter\Setupfiles folder.
6. Make ACE Zlib
Converts either Bitmap (.bmp) or Targa (.tga) files to compressed .ACE files for use within MSTS. This option allows
you to convert multiple files at once. The .ACE files will appear in the Route_Riter\Setupfiles folder. These files are
compressed with the -zlib tag in Makeace, so require the latest version of Makeace.exe to work.
7. Make ACE DXT
Converts either Bitmap (.bmp) or Targa (.tga) files to compressed .ACE files for use within MSTS. This option allows
you to convert multiple files at once. The .ACE files will appear in the Route_Riter\Setupfiles folder. These files are
compressed with the -dxt tag in Makeace, so require the latest version of Makeace.exe to work.
8. List .ACE file types
Produces a list of all selected .ace files along with their file types, e.g. myace.ace - 32 bit - This allows you to quickly
see which files will benefit from being converted to DXT1 and so reduce the size of your route for upload purposes.
9. View .s file
This option uses a built in copy of Paul Gausden's Shape File Viewer and it will display any selected .s file in 3D.
Select multiple .s files and they will be displayed in order within SView, just click the 'Window Close X button in the
top right hand corner of SView' to close the window and a new window will open with the next shape. This viewer will
display both Rolling stock and static shapes.
Note: The following 2 items will not necessarily appear on your screen. The Slide Show/Show Picture options depend
upon your having Martin Wright's mwgfx.dll and associated files installed on your PC. These may be downloaded from
http://www.mnwright.btinternet.co.uk/ - Click on Graphics Tools then on 'Newest mwgfx.dll' version for the correct
file.
10. Slide Show
This option allows you to display a slide show of all graphics files in a selected folder, either automatically using the
delay in the box, or you may move through the pictures by first clicking on the 'Pause' button (two vertical bars), then
clicking on the next or previous arrows. Unlike other 'Slide Show' viewers, this one will also display .ace files, thus
allowing you to view all the Terrtex texture files to enable you to select suitable surface textures.
11. Picture Viewer
Displays the selected graphic file(s)
12. List all filtered files
Select a folder in the left hand window, and in the filter window type a 'wild card' which you want to see, e.g. you
could type *AU*.eng to show all engine files with AU in the filename, i.e. all Australian locomotives. If you also wish
to see files in the CabView folder, then select this in the box under the List button.
The above illustration will select all shape (.S) files in the Trains folder, and will result in the following listing:-
Clicking on any line will select it, multiple selection is possible in the usual manner using Ctrl-click or Shift-click.
Click here for a more detailed description of options available on the Filtered Files Screen
13. Run T-View
This button runs Martin Wright's T-View thumbnail texture viewer. Select any folder containing picture files and click
this button and you will see thumbnail pictures of all the files in the folder. T-View will show most common graphics
types, including .ace .jpg .bmp .gif etc.
14. Display Selected Consist
Another new option using Paul Gausden's trainlib.ocx control and extra code assistance by Paul and by Steve Nicklin,
this option allows you to view any of your consists on screen in full colour. The consist folder may be selected using the
new CON button at the top left of the main screen. Select a consist and click the Display Selected Consist button. This
brings up the display as under.
The consist may be moved using the mouse (not very good movement at the moment, especially on long consists).
The camera buttons on the bottom left of the screen may be used to move the camera around and along the consist.
The sliders alter the lighting and the distance the model is from the front.
15. Retrieve Saved Pictures
On the List all Filtered Files screen above, there is an option to save pictures of .S shape files in a document. This
button allows you to display these files and if necessary print copies. Clicking the button brings up the following
screen, and when you click Load you can select your saved files and it is displayed as shown:-
Route-Riter Miscellaneous Operations
New buttons for 3D modellers have been added to the latest version. To use any of these options, select the files you
wish to compress/uncompress in the left hand windows, multiple files may be selected by holding down the CTRL key
while clicking on the filenames. (You can also filter say the Shapes folder by altering the text in the filter window from
*.* to *.S, (or clicking the 'S' button). Then you can select blocks of files by clicking the top filename, then holding
down SHIFT and clicking the bottom file of the block you wish to work on. Or alternatively clicking the 'All' button if
you wish to select all the files).
1. Compress .S, .T ?
Compresses all selected .s, .t or .w files (you will be advised if a particular file is already compressed).
2. Uncompress .S
Uncompresses all selected .s files as above.
3. Uncompress .W
This option may be used to safely Uncompress .W files - This version uses a new set of routines by Martyn Griffin
which will correctly Uncompress .W files, unlike the program ffeditc_unicode.exe which ships with MSTS.
8. Unicode to ASCII
Converts the various Unicode text files used in MSTS to normal ASCII files which may be edited in any text editor.
This can be useful if you need to edit .ref, .eng or .wag files etc.
9. ASCII to Unicode
Converts normal ASCII text files to the Unicode format files used in MSTS.
10. Unicode Editor
A simple text editor which you can use to edit any selected MSTS file without leaving Route-Riter.
11. Count Objects
Select a route, and this option will count how many Shape or Forest objects are on each tile, and print out a list for
you.
12. Add Load All Waves
This adds the command 'LoadAllWaves ( 1 )' to the highest priority ScalabiltyGroup in each .SMS file in a folder, it
also adds it to ScalabiltyGroup 0 (AI consists) if there is one.
This is most effective if used on the global SOUND folder in MSTS, it has the effect of loading all the sound files into
memory when you start MSTS, rather than as you reach them in the simulator, thus hopefully reducing jerkiness.
Thanks to Stuart Williamson for his work on this matter.
13. Delete Load All Waves
This undoes the action of 12. above - If you have insufficient memory after running the above command, this one will
undo it.
14. Make .eng non-driveable
This item operates on a selected .eng file and produces a non-driveable version of the locomotive which can be used in
an AI consist. e.g. If the file is Scotsman.eng, this will produce an engine named #Scotsman.eng in the same folder. It
removes various items from the .eng file such as cab and internal views to save FPS and changes the driving wheel radii
entries which gives more realistic wheel rotation.
15. Uncompress .T
The .T files in the Tiles and Lo_Tiles folders can not normally be read as they are in a binary format, however for
those of you who are interested in such things, I have obtained a set of routines from Martyn Griffin which will safely
decompress .T files.
The Compress .S, .T ?
16. Delete Shape from .W
This option will allow you to enter a Shape files name, and delete all instances of that file from every World .W tile in
your route.
Select a route by double clicking on it and click this button. If the route contains compressed .W please note that they
will not be automatically re-compressed. If you wish to compress them, then you will have to follow the instructions in
1. above once all the shapes have been removed.
At this point you get a box in which you may enter the name of the shape you wish to delete from ALL the World tiles
in your route - this is a drastic measure and should not be taken lightly! Once you click on OK, the program will go
through the .W tiles and remove all the entries for this particular shape.
17. Copy Shape(s) to Another Route
This option allows you to copy any number of shape files from one route to the one you are working on - All
associated .SD and .ACE files are also copied across, including Snow/Night/Seasonal textures where appropriate.
This option also updates the .ref file of the Target route.
To use this option, click on the 'Copy Shape to Another Route' button - A pop-up screen appears telling you to
select the DESTINATION or Target route in the Right hand window.
This route name then appears in the box in the pop-up window. Click OK and you get a similar instruction regarding
the Source Route, click OK and the Shape folder for the selected Source Route appears, select the .s files you wish to
copy (Ctrl-Click for multiple selections) and then click OK.
Note: You should not use shapes from another person's route unless it is for a route you are only using for your own
amusement, or if you get permission from the shape authors, or they have specifically declared that they may be freely
disseminated.
18. List all Instances of a Shape in .W
This option allows you to select a route, then enter the name of a shape file, e.g. tree3.s - The program then produces
a list of all .W files in the route where that shape is, and gives the position on the tile for each instance of the shape.
19. Make tsection.dat
This option is for Route authors who use the standardized tsection.dat file and x-tracks etc. only. When laying track in
the Route Editor, you will find that there are many track sections listed in the Editor which you do not have, or you do
not need. Items such as UKFineScale track, Narrow Gauge track, Tramway track etc are just a waste of space if you
are building a standard gauge railroad.
This option allows you to build a tsection.dat file which only lists those items actually in your Global\Shapes folder as
follows:· Move any unwanted track-sections to a spare folder (in case you may need them in the future).
· Run Route-Riter and select 'Make tsection.dat'
· The program will rename your tsection.dat file to Master_tsection.dat, then go through the existing track
pieces and compile a new tsection.dat based on the contents of the Master_tsection.dat file.
20. Make all MSTS files read/write
Goes through your MSTS folders and makes all files there read/write (You may see a message that a particular
hidden file has not been modified - this makes no difference to the operation of this option). This option is useful in
cases where a user has backed up all his rolling-stock to a CD then reinstalled it. Backing up to CD without zipping
up the files causes their attributes to be changed to Read-Only.
21. Replace Shapes in .W files
This option allows you to replace all instances of a particular shape in a Route's .W files with another shape. This is
particularly useful if you wish to replace a gantry model with a gantry of a different shape. Just select the route, click
this button and you will be asked to select the existing shape, then the new shape from the route's shape folder. Once
you do this, click OK and it is all done for you.
22. Set up a New Route
This option allows you to get started on a new route without having to go to a lot of effort copying files from the
Default Routes. Firstly use the Route Editor RGE option to set up a basic route with it's tiles etc. Then run
Route-Riter, select the new route which should appear in the list of MSTS routes, and click 'Set up a New Route' This option uses Jim Ward (Sniper's) EZStuff4.bat file to copy most of the default shapes/textures etc to your new
route, and sets up a .ref file, correctly named, ready for you to use in the Route Editor.
23. Duplicate a route with new name
Once you have finished building your route, and before running the Compact Route option, it is worthwhile making a
duplicate copy of the route along with all the textures/shapes installed in your route's folders. Then once you have
finished packaging your route for distribution, you will still have a full version of your route available and ready to start
on future upgrades.
This option allows enables you to make a copy of say MyRoute1 as MyRoute2, it will copy over all the files in the
MyRoute1 folder to a MyRoute2 folder, rename all the files such as MyRoute1.ref to MyRoute2.ref and enable you to
change the Route Name which appears in MSTS say from 'NewYork - Sanfrancisco v1' to 'NewYork - Sanfrancisco
v2'
24. Make Unpowered Loco
Makes an unpowered version of the selected .eng files. e.g. Selecting Scotsman.eng will copy it as $Scotsman.eng in
the same folder. This $Scotsman.eng can then be placed in consists as a 'broken down' locomotive, and shunted
around yards with another loco etc. In the case of Diesel and Electric locos, they are converted to unpowered wagons,
once again with the $ prefix, e.g. 47002.eng will be copied as $47002.wag
Printing Route-Riter Reports
There are several 'PRINT' buttons for Route-Riter reports and all take you to the following screen:-
The Arrow buttons on the top row of the screen will move you to the next or previous page, whereas the buttons
consisting of a vertical line and an arrow will move you to the first or last page of the document.
The Zoom control (magnifying glass icon) can be used to zoom in on the text to read smaller print, clicking the text
with the Left Mouse Button will enlarge it, and with the Right button will reduce it on the screen. There is also a menu
available from the arrow beside the Zoom icon which allows you to display the text in various formats. The Printer
box allows you to choose between various printers if you have more than one.
Once you are satisfied with the document, you can print it if required.
Route-Riter Instructions for Reducing the size of a route.
Note: All 6 Default Routes must be installed for options on this page
to run properly.
YOU MUST BACK UP THE ROUTE FOLDER BEFORE TRYING THIS
PROGRAM AT ALL !!!!
When you first run Route-Riter, you will be presented with a 'Splash screen' giving details of the program, then you
will be advised to double click on a Route to select it. The above window then opens up with your MSTS Routes
directory automatically selected.
Once you have double-clicked on your route, say 'Bodiddly RR', you must click on the 'Confirm Route' button to
confirm that you are working on the route you really wish to alter. To reduce the size of any route not originally
prepared with Route-Riter, operate the three buttons, Confirm Route, Check Route and Compact Route in that
order. That is all you need to do, the other buttons on the front screen are for more specialised/experienced users.
The various buttons act as follows:1. Confirm Route
Checks that a route has been selected, cleans any old files out of the SetupFiles folder and resets the program to
process your route. The whole route is checked to ensure that there are no Read Only files included which could not
be edited. The attributes of any such files are set to Read/Write.
2. Check Route
This option goes through the route checking that all .s / .ace / .sms / .wav/.env files are present. If a file is discovered to
be missing, Route-Riter will then check through the default routes, and if the file is found there, it will ask you if you
wish it to be placed in your route. If you answer NO to this question, then you must find the missing file somewhere
else, manually, before attempting to Compact the route, otherwise further errors may occur. You also have the option
of allowing the program to automatically include all such missing files from the Default routes.
This routine then checks for missing .SD files, and attempts to find any missing ones. The Alternative Texture tag is
read, and the .S file is searched to see which textures are required. Then all the Route\Textures\ folders are searched in
accordance with the Alt Texture number to see if any of the Snow, Night or Seasonal textures are missing. This should
save you having to drive your route in all possible seasons to check for missing textures.
Some shape definition (.SD) files list the Alternative Texture type as 256 which means 'Shape has daytime and nighttime
textures'. Unfortunately, there is a bug in this number, and if you use such files on a route in the Snow, you will get an
error message to the effect that the file Global\Textures\SnowTexture.ace is missing (where SnowTexture.ace is the
name of the shape's texture file). To get around this, you can either do without the night texture and change the
Alternative Texture type to '0' or add a snow texture and make the type '257'. Route-Riter will do this for you by
advising of any 256 files it finds and offering to either change the shape to '0' or '257' (in which case the day texture is
copied to the Snow folder if there is no Snow texture available).
Following this, the .W files are checked for 'Forest' entries, and all the Season folders are checked to ensure that the
appropriate seasonal textures for each Forest entry are there. Terrtex textures are also checked to ensure that for each
Terrtex .ACE file there is a corresponding file in the Terrtex\Snow folder.
When this option finishes, a report appears listing all problems (this includes missing .SD files - these are not
necessarily a problem, as some items such as gantries, signals, cars in the carspawn.dat file, speedposts etc do not
necessarily have .SD files, even though they do have .S files).
I have now combined the routines needed to compact a route on to a single button:3. Compact Route
Clicking this button causes the program to search through the World files and various .dat files to ascertain which Shape
and Texture files are in use within the route. This operation will take a few minutes, depending on your PC and
the size of your route.
If the .W files in the World folder are compressed, they will be uncompressed to a temporary folder, and if they are
already in uncompressed format, they will be copied to a Temporary folder. The program then reads the .W files and
sees which .S files are required by the route. If necessary the .S files are uncompressed and copied to the Temporary
folder.
The program then goes through all the .s files which have been temporarily copied to the SetupFiles folder in this
applications path. This will produce a list of all .ACE/.SMS/.WAV files actually used by your route.
The program then deletes all Shape/Texture/Sound/Terrain Texture files in your Route's
Shapes/Textures/Sounds/Terrtex folders which are not in use (this includes all .s, .sd and .thm files connected with
each shape).
Once all these files have been deleted, the temporary uncompressed .S files are deleted from the SetupFiles folder
and a .ref file is copied to your Route folder which only contains details of those files actually in use by the route.
At this point, a Report Screen as under appears showing you which files are used in the Route.
From this screen you can print and/or save the listing.
You should close the report screen once you have finished with it as it is used later for another process.
Note: Under WindowsXP, this report screen may open as an icon on the bottom toolbar of your screen, you will
need to click on this icon to read the report.
At this time, you may give the route a test run (You must close Route-Riter before starting MSTS, otherwise MSTS
will not run). I have tested this program on several routes and savings of over 200 megs have been attained. However
this is a very destructive program, so I take no responsibility for any problems which occur.
Once you have completed the above procedures, you may continue as follows to save a
bit more space:
4. Compres s .ACE
Use this option to Compress all the .ACE files in your Route's Textures/Terrtex/Envfiles directories. (Route-Riter
uses a special version of Martin Wright's Acecomp.exe to accomplish this compression. This Acecomp.exe is
included with Martin's permission)
Most of the texture files will already be in Compressed or DXT format. If this is the case they are not touched but if
they are not compressed, then they will be. This not only saves a lot of space on your drive, but allows the files to
load quicker.
Note: Beware that some models may not work in MSTS with compressed .ace files. These are usually
large models which use multiple .ace files. It is therefore imperative that you keep a backup of the
Textures folder before trying to compress all the .ace files. Once you have tested that everything loads
OK, then you can delete the backup files.
5. Compress .W
Use this option to Compress all the .W files in your Route's World directory. This will save a lot of space.
6. Compress .S
Use this option to Compress any uncompressed .S files in your Route's Shapes directory. Most shape files are
already compressed, but some may not be and this option compresses them all.
Warning: Make sure you test the route fully if you have compressed all the files. I have found the odd
shape which will not load when the texture for it has been compressed.
7. MSTS
The two buttons at the top left and right of the screen captioned 'MSTS' are just quick means of switching each
window to the MSTS\Routes directory.
8. All
Selects all the files in the Left hand file window.
9. S, T and W
These three buttons show all the .S, .T and .W files respectively in the active folder. They are the equivalent of
entering *.S etc in the Filters box, so if you click on the 'S' button, then click the All button, all the .S files in the folder
will be selected.
10. Same View
This button makes the folder view in the Right hand file window identical to the view in the Left hand window. This is
useful in the MSTS File Utilities if you wish to make the source and destination of a compressed file the same. i.e. You
are compressing a file and overwriting the uncompressed version.
11. CON
The 'CON' button at the top left of the screen will take you to your main CONSISTS folder if clicked with the Left
Mouse Button. Clicking it with the Right Mouse Button takes you to your TRAINSET folder.
Notes :
1. If you are using this program to compress routes you have downloaded, then after running the route from end to
end (at Night and in the Snow as well as during the day), providing everything is OK, then you can delete your
backup.
2. Do not run this utility against the Default MSTS routes or you will delete files which might be required by other
routes.
YOU MUST BACK UP THE ROUTE FOLDER BEFORE TRYING THIS
PROGRAM AT ALL !!!!
12. .Ref File Editor
New to this version is a .Ref file editor which allows you to sort your ref file into meaningful Classes. Select a .ref file
and click this button and you will see the following screen:-
You can sort on any column by clicking the title at the head of the column (normally you would sort on Class as this is
the item which appears in your Route Editor add objects window).
Any item Class or Description may be manually edited by simply typing in the box concerned. If you wish to modify
multiple entries in the same column, e.g. you may wish to change all Building_Residential entries to read Building Residential. Then select the first item and drag the mouse down the column to select all those you wish to change, they
will turn blue. Then right click on the top one and a box will appear into which you may type the new entry.
Rows may be added (new rows appear at the bottom of the grid), or deleted.
After making any alterations, make sure you re-index the grid, then save it so that all changes are permanent.
13. Make .REF File
Many commercial routes do not include a .ref file, thus making it impossible to open the route in the Route Editor.
This option will build a .ref file for the selected route without your having to compact the route.
14. List Track Sections in Route
Builds a list of all the track and road sections used in the selected route.
15. Count Objects in World Tiles
This option counts all the objects in the selected World tile ( .W tile) - along with all adjacent tiles, thus listing up to 9
.w tiles and their contents. This allows a route builder to know how many objects will be loaded at one time when a
particular tile is visited (MSTS loads all objects on the tile and the 8 adjacent tiles at once, hence slowing down the
simulator when the train approaches cities etc, causing jerky behaviour).
16. Building MIni Routes - Click here to visit this page.
Please advise me of any difficulties - Any comments / Suggestions will be appreciated. :Mike Simpson - 7th July 2011
email: [email protected].
Home page: http://www.rstools.info
Route-Riter
by Mike Simpson
This program module started life as a file-utility module for a genealogy program I was working on. When I
subsequently was asked to write a program for use with MSTS route building, I just modified the file utility program
to suit.
Firstly, I will describe the original operation of the program, users who had the old Commodore Amiga computer will
recognise the operation of the utility whereby two directories are shown side by side on the screen, allowing copying
of files, moving files etc between the two directories.
This utility allows you to carry out most types of file and disk maintainance, such as Deleting and Renaming files,
Editing text etc.
Two directories are presented to the user, the Source Directory and the Target Directory (Either side can be the
Source/Target, first clicked on is the Source). Therefore to copy a file from one directory to the other, select the source
directory on one side and the target directory on the other, highlight the file(s) you wish to copy and click the
Copy or Move buttons to transfer the file(s).
SELECT DRIVE
Selects the appropriate disk drive.
SELECT DIRECTORY
Clicking on a directory's name selects that directory.
SELECT FILE
Clicking on a file's name selects that file. Any number of files may be selected in the same manner as in File Manager or
Windows Explorer by using Shift-Click to select a block of files or Ctrl-Click to select several non-sequential files.
Alternatively, click on the ALL gadget to select all files. Clicking for a second time, un-selects a particular file. Clicking
on NONE un-selects all files.
FILE PATH
This gadget displays the name of the currently selected drive.
PATTERN MATCHING GADGET
This gadget defaults to *.* (Select all files) but you can change this to select any valid pattern, e.g. *.EXE to select all
.EXE files.
ALL FILES
Allows you to select all files in a directory at once.
NONE
Allows you to unselect all files in the directory.
DELETE FILE
Clicking on this gadget deletes all selected files.
COPY FILE
Will copy all selected files from the Source directory to the Target directory.
MOVE FILE
Will move all selected files from the Source directory to the Target directory, deleting the file(s) from the Source
directory.
PROPERTIES
Brings up a small window giving additional details about the selected file - you can change file attributes from this
window.
RENAME FILE
Clicking on this gadget allows you to rename a file.
I have modified the RENAME button under General Utilities so that it will now rename multiple files by either adding a
prefix to the filename, or by altering the suffix. This is useful in MSTS as you may wish to rename a batch of textures
for a model you are making to add your initials to the filename, e.g. TMS_LocoTexture.bmp to give standard texture
names to all your models. (Obviously these have to be renamed before the models are textured).
A more useful item is the change of suffix, particularly if you have had problems in the Route-Editor with the World
files and need to rename all the backups back to .W files - I recently had to do this to save a route from destruction
and had to rename about 100 files. With this option, just select all the backup files, (after moving the .w files
elsewhere), click on rename and you will get the following requester:-
Enter ~w.bk in the 'Replace' box and .W in the 'With' box and click OK. All the files will be renamed instantly.
MAKE DIRECTORY
Clicking on this gadget allows you to Make a new Directory. You will be presented with a gadget in which you must
type the new Directory Name.
RMDIR
This gadget allows you to remove an empty directory.
SEARCH
Allows you to search from the selected directory down through its sub-directories for files which match the pattern in
the pattern-matching window.
PARENT
Moves to the Parent directory of the selected directory.
ROOT
Moves to the Root directory of the selected directory.
EXECUTE
Runs the selected file (assuming it is an executable file).
HIDE/SYSTEM
Toggles your ability to view System or Hidden files. If System/Hidden files are listed in the window, it turns RED Note, you should never delete files which are System or Hidden unless you really know what you are doing!!
EDIT
Brings up the text editor to edit the file(s) selected, multiple files may be selected. Files may be text files or HTML
files.
RESET LIST
Clears the list of files found in the Search option.
DIR TO TXT
Allows you to print or save a selected directory to a text file which is just a list of file names within the directory. This
can be useful if you wish to add a bunch of filenames to a batch file for further processing.
MyZipp
This brings up a small program which will allow you to add files to a new .zip file or to extract files from a .zip file in a
manner similar to WinZip or other utilities. I just added this as an extra, as the other .zip routines require this option in
any case.
Route-Riter Mini-Route setup
Route-Riter now has the ability to set up Mini-Routes using a similar system to that outlined by Otto on train-sim.com,
with the exception that to allow Route-Riter to check these routes, then the folder name which contains train.exe must
be 'Train Simulator' - just the same as in a full version of MSTS.
Mini-Routes are actually a small installation of MSTS with just the bare minimum of files required to run a single route
and includes just those Consists and rolling-stock required for the Activities supplied with the route. This allows for
much faster loading of the route. Route-Riter also has the ability to remove all the unused track sections in the
Global\Shapes folder of the Mini-Route and to pare the tsection.dat file so that it only reflects track sections in use.
To use this option, just run Route-Riter and on the front screen, click on the 'Mini-Routes' tab.
The requester above will appear - I have set my Mini-Routes up in F:\Mini-Routes, but they can be on any drive and
in any folder you like. If the folder you want to use to store your Mini-Routes in does not exist, then enter it in the
'Add new folder if required' box and it will be created. Then enter the name of your route in the bottom box, in this
case I have chosen Marias31. Click the 'Create new MIniRoute' button and the framework of the new Mini-Route
will be automatically created from your Default MSTS setup.
When this option is complete, navigate to the folder (using the above example), "f:\Mini-Routes\Marias31\Train
Simulator" then go to the Files Menu/MSTS Path and click Select to set up your new route as the MSTS path in
Route-Riter.
Click 'Mini-Route Copy Route' and the Copy files between two Routes requester as under will appear. Navigate to
the Routes folder in the left hand window (the path will appear in the requester), click OK, then navigate to the route
to copy in the Right Hand window, then click OK. Then all the files in Marias31 will be copied to your new
Mini-Route.
Note: Your route must already be installed and working on your PC before you can set up a Mini-Route, as you can
not run InstallMe.bat from within a Mini-Route as there are no default routes there for it to copy files from. However
once your new Mini-Route is set up, you can of course delete the route from it's original position.
You will now want to copy the required rolling-stock for your new route. Double-Click on Routes\Marias31, then
click the Confirm Route button before selecting the 'Mini-Route Get Stock' button. This brings up a requester which
will be pointing to your Default MSTS 'Trains' folder. As this might not be the Trains folder with the necessary rolling
stock, this requester allows you to navigate to some other Trains folder, assuming you have more than one instance of
MSTS installed. Then click OK and all the rolling-stock named in your route's Activities will be installed, along with
the following folders:Default, Common.*, ACELA, DASH9, GP38, KIHA31 and SCOTSMAN - These should cover most aliased
Sound and Cab files, however you should run both Route-Riter and Conbuilder on your new Mini-Route to make
sure that all necessary files are there.
Now test your new Mini-Route in MSTS to make sure it runs OK. The route should start very quickly, if all is well,
add an icon to your desk top pointing to the train.exe file in your MIni-Route.
During the setup of the new Mini-Route, Route-Riter will have copied the complete Global\Shapes folder across, if
you wish, you may now Double-Click on the new Routes\Marias31 folder in the Left hand folder window, then click
the Confirm Route button before clicking the 'Mini-Route Compact Tracks and tsection' button. This will remove all
unused Track and Road sections and prune the tsection.dat file.
Buttons to Confirm Route and Check Route are also available on this screen, they act in the same manner as the same
buttons on the main screen.
Misc. Options Tab
This version of Route-Riter has merged the Misc., Environment and Common File tabs into the one tab as under:-
1. Set up editing folder:This button makes a copy of the Trainset folder but only copies over the .eng/.wag/.sd files from each Rolling-Stock
item. Thus giving you a backup of the files which you are likely to be editing within the Trainset.
2. Raise Bounding-Box Minimum
Experiments here in Australia have shown that the reason many wagons derail in routes like the Marias-Pass is because
the bounding-box set out in the wagon's '.sd' file is set so low that the bottom of the wagon hits the bounding box of
items like level-crossings when it passes over them, thus creating a collision. This object goes through the Trainset
folder and raises the bounding box base of all rolling stock to 0.9 m which gives room to pass over crossings even
when they are on the apex of a hill.
3. Fix Bad .S File Format
I have discovered that some .S files appear to have been compressed with ffeditc_unicode.exe using the /u flag rather
than the /c flag. This produces .S files which have a Unicode header and compressed body. Route-Riter can not check
such files, and they will be flagged as invalid during options such as Check Route or Compact Route. However if you
select the .S file in question and click this button, it will reformat it correctly.
Environment Options
1. Set up .Env files
Select a route and click this button - The default three .env files for the route are copied to a backup folder, and the
correct number of 12 new .env files are set up in the route's Envfiles folder. i.e. sun/rain/snow for each of the four
seasons. These are initially just copies of the default sun/rain/snow .env files.
2. Edit Environment
Clicking this button brings up a small window showing the Lat/Long of the Route's start-tile. The approx. local time is
calculated. You can check these settings and amend them as necessary. You should also indicate if the area where the
route is located uses daylight saving in the summer season.
Once these figures are input, click the Calculate button, and the approx Sunrise/Sunset - Moonrise/Moonset times are
calculated for each season to give more realistic figures for the area the route is intended to represent.
3. Replace BlendATexDiff
This button which allows you to replace all the BlendATexDiff commands in the .env files of your route which pertain
to WATER with the BlendATex command. This has been found to correct the problem MSTS has with water flashing
if it was near Dynamic track pieces, or animated models such as steam locomotives pass it.
4. Make Deep Snow
Use this option to change the Snow texture of a route to heavy snow cover (with no green bits showing through). It
works by replacing all the Terrtex snow textures in the route with a copy of US2TarGnd.ace - Do not use this option if
you are going to distribute your route, as it will only appear on your local machine. This option uses the same logic as
Ron Paludan's 'Heavy Snow' batch files for the default routes.
Note: Author's should not use this option on routes for distribution, rather they should leave it up to the user to
improve the snow if he so wishes.
Common Files
Route-Riter includes the option 'Common Files' which allows you to copy all the
shape/texture/terrtex/sound/environment files from the Default Routes to a Common Route folder (which may be on a
CD-ROM). This will allow users to delete all the Default Routes from their PC, yet still be able to install third party
routes which use installation batch files such as InstallMe.bat, EZStuff4.bat or Install.bat to copy files from the default
routes into the downloaded routes. (This will cover the majority of routes available for download at this time).
Procedure is:1. Click 'Setup Common Files' - This will set up a dummy route folder named 'Common' in your MSTS Routes
folder, and copy Jim Ward's batch file EZStuff4.bat into this route.
2. Click 'Copy Default Files to Common' - This runs EZStuff4.bat and copies the default files into the 'Common'
Route.
3. At this stage you can copy this 'Common' Route to a CD-Rom or leave it where it is.
4. Download a route, say Albula2, and install it in the normal manner. If it has an install program such as Clickteam
Installer which presents you with a box to select to run the batch file, unselect this.
5. Once the installation routine finishes, there should be an Install batch file in the downloaded Route's root directory.
Run Route_Riter and click the 'Convert Install file' button, you will be asked to select the Common folder in the left
hand window, and the install file in the right hand window. Click OK after each selection, then select and the install
batch is converted (virtually instantaneously) producing a new batch file named 'InstallCommon.bat'.
6. Go to the downloaded route and run the InstallCommon.bat file, and the files will be copied from your new
'Common' route, which may be on a CD.
LIMITATIONS
1. Because there are several files in the default routes which have the same names, but are actually different e.g.
warehouse2.s differs in size between two routes, and some tree textures vary between routes even though the .ace
files have the same names. You may end up with a route which is slightly different to the author's original concept.
2. One or two routes such as Crawford Hill do not use external batch files to install the route, rather run a file from
within the install program to copy files - These will not work with this concept. However in most cases, you should be
able to place EZStuff4.bat in the route after you install it, convert it as above and run it to copy all the default files
across. Then run Route_Riter to compact the route.
This version is just a test concept, and appears to work OK, but users do so at their own risk.
I would appreciate any feedback, suggestions etc.
Convert File Names
This new option allows you to enter Either Long/Lat or World Tile Co-ordinates and upon pressing Calculate will
display the Tile File name.
In this case, the World Tile coordinates were input. (remember to include the '-' where necessary. Also Lat/Long are
decimal values)
Click here for file utility instructions
Getting a route ready for distribution.
Check Activities ?
To Prepare a route for distribution using Route-Riter and the
Clickteam Installer
These instructions assume you are familiar with Route-Riter up to your ability to Compact a route. It is assumed your
route has now been completed and tested, and that you have used Route-Riter to prepare a duplicate version of the
route with a new name, e.g. MyRoute2, which you will then use as the basis of any second version of your route.
Compacting the route using Route-Riter
1. Run Route-Riter, select your route, click on Confirm Route , then Check Route
2. If any errors are found, fix them.
3. Click on Compact Route
4. Click on • Delete Raw • this will remove various files which do not need to be distributed.
5. Click on Write .Bat , you are now ready to remove all those files from your route which are included in the
Default Routes • so click on the OK button on the Warning box which appears.
6. You will now see a box asking if you wish to include the Environment Files with your route. If you are not
using the unchanged . Env files from the Templates folder, then you should answer YES , otherwise NO
7. Route-Riter will now examine all your files to see if there are EXACT duplicates in the Default Routes. If a
file with the same name, but say
A different size exists in a Default Route, then a warning similar to the above may appear. This indicates that you may
have altered railbridge.s when building the route, in which case you should click on Keep this File otherwise you may
select to Replace with Default.
8.
After the shapes/textures have been processed, you will see the following warning, this gives you the
opportunity of using a single SNOW terrain texture over the whole route (this saves many megabytes in the size
of the distributed route), If you wish to do so, click the browse button and select a texture, this defaults to
us2targnd.ace a level deep snow texture, otherwise click cancel.
9. At this point your route may be distributed, however if you intend to upload the route for distribution via the
Internet, you might like to consider compacting it even further by converting the majority of .ACE files in the
route to DXT1 format. DXT1 is the standard format for DirectX and is much more compact than other
texture formats. Using the Compress .Ace as DXT1 button on the main screen will accomplish this. (RouteRiter does not convert files such as 32 bit textures which are unsuitable for conversion).
Preparing the route for distribution using the Clickteam Installer
Note: The Clickteam Installer produces an .exe file which the end-user will run to install your route directly into the
Microsoft Train Simulator. The following instructions will produce an .exe file which when run will automatically copy
the route into the Routes folder, the Consists into the Consists folder and the rolling-stock into the Trainset folder. This
is intended for your average user who has probably no idea what he/she is doing. Many experienced users prefer to
see what is happening and what is to be loaded where on their system. In which case it may be preferable for you to
use Route-Riter to package the route in spanned .zip files. I have found however that you get a lot less queries if you
produce a ‘Point and Click’ installation for inexperienced users, if necessary you can do both, and upload them to
different sites.
Firstly, you will have to set up a directory structure as under to store your route prior to packaging, the Global folder
is only needed if you have something such as a Hazard which needs to be stored in the Global folder.
2.Copy your route after it has been compacted using Route-Riter into the Routes sub-folder, and any Consists and
Rolling-stock required by the route into the Consists and Trainset folders. Obviously if you are only using Default
Consists and Trains, then you may omit these folders. You must also of course obtain permission from the model
builders before• distributing any rolling-stock which you have not built yourself.
3.
The picture on the right displays how my Blue-Mountains3 route appeared once the route and rolling stock
had been copied across.
4.
Run the CLickteam Install Maker and use the Wizard, on the first screen Browse to D:\Install\Train
Simulator and ensure that ‘Include sub-directories’ is ticked. Click on Next.
5.
On the 2nd screen ‘Setting your program’s title’, select the required language, and enter your route’s name in
the ‘MyProduct’ box. Click on Next.
6.
On the ‘Shell’ screen, leave all boxes empty and Click on Next
7.
On the ‘Information’ screen, you may enter any required information regarding your product such as license
info etc., This is a good place to remind your user that they must run the InstallMe.bat in your route’s folder
once installation has completed. Click on Next.
8.
On the ‘Window’ screen, you can select either a Small or Full Screen installation window. Click the Preview
to view each and choose whichever you want. The box should• contain your route’s name, or you might like to
add something like your name, e.g. Blue_Mountains v3 by Mike Simpson. Click Next
9.
Bitmaps screen – If you wish, you can include a bitmap as a background for your installation screen, the
preview screen allows you to check that this is OK. Click Next
10. Installation Directory – Best results are gained if you let the installer check the registry for the location of the
User’s Train Simulator folder, to do this, click on the Registry Base button and add the following information
in the boxes:-
Root key:• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Key:••••••••• software\microsoft\microsoft games\train simulator\1.0
Subkey:••• Path
Click OK, then click Preview if you entered this data correctly, the correct •••••directory will be shown in the path
box.Click Exit, then Click Next.
11. End page options - •There are two boxes on this page, in the top one you can add the path to a ReadMe.txt
file giving further instructions etc.
In the bottom box, Browse for 'InstallMe.bat' which will be run when installation completes, and will
automatically copy all the Default files in to the route.
Click next.
12. Uninstallation – Make sure you uncheck the box ‘Uninstall program’ – you should NEVER include uninstall
programs with MSTS add-ons. Click Next
13. Click Finish then enter a Path and File Name for your .exe file.
••••• Trainsimulator - Utility "TSUtil"
Version•••• : 3.1
Program date: 16.Jan.2005
Instructions:
This utility was developed to simplify maintenance and modification of MSTS-Routes. Therfore,
there are some, so called, Functions, which will be described in the following - Some options can now be called from
within Route-Riter and are included with the kind permission of Carl-Heinz Rave:
INTRODUCTION:
All you need to use this utility is a working "Java-Runtime-Environment".
After the installation (see also: Installaion of ... in readme.txt) TSUtil can be used
immediately. TSUtil is always called as a Java-Application from within a DOS-Window, regardless
of the function you like to use. Because there is no GUI, the activation of the functions are
a little bit tricky and output (errors and messages) are directed to the window, but the