On the subject of providing help, other data must be requested other then system specs and operating system. Background programs also need to be shut down since SMR is a memory hog. In the case of XP, the lowest I have ever been able to strip it too was 15 operations, I am sure that you could say what Vista can be striped to. The point is that is also a factor.
Lowell - What in the world are you talking about? Utah is not a Stand Alone Map in any form. First of all, Utah had custom content as well as a BAT file. Plus the original files have errors that need to be fixed.
As far as I know the only SAM Version of Utah that exist is the one that Snoopy created. Any thing else will crash unless you alter the XML. So stop rewriting history. As a matter of fact, Snoopy described SAMs on the Utah Thread in May of 2007and he and I developed SAM the following November. You also state other maps, which ones? Before you stated that you got the idea from Fireaxis Holiday scenario, but that map was full of errors and crashed out all the time. Prior to SAM, all maps with mods where global including the holiday scenario. SMRI was the first attempt to assemble a compilation of maps to form a standard. I would like to remind everyone that SMRI contained all of the mods that existed at the time, in one block, so that not every mod needed to be added to the globals or to have prerequisite maps installed.I think the idea of "self contained" maps has been around for quite some time. I made my file set off of many older maps that were already in the forum. Utah and several others can be played as self contained maps right now (old version) and run fast and crash free.
On this point you are stretching the truth. SAMs allow for new content to be added with out effecting the content of other maps. As for speed the game still runs at the same speed that it always had, but by reducing content loaded into RAM, the chances of crashing have greatly been reduced, but not eliminated.Self contained maps allows map makers to make new game content and even larger game maps...and still let the game run faster/better.
I guess the discovery process was for you since Snoopy and I had already described to you what a SAM was and how they where to work, only to be rebuffed as SAMs being to inconvenient, since you would have to stop the program to delete one set of files and unzip another. ( Yes - I keep all my files zipped in the My Games directory. I unzip a file and play the map. when I want to change maps I delete the folder and unzip another.) Anyway, had it not been for Rodea, Dwax would still be wondering if he would live to see Florida Gold. Then come to think of it, it was Rodea that also proved that the trees could be snowed in your Ohio map, so that makes two maps that Rodea has completed for you. GREAT JOB RODEA ! ! ! Since it will most likely be the only compliment that he will get on the subject. And is that also his train stations that you are using? Just more of the guy's GREAT WORK.Karsten and several others can speak of the discovery process while beta testing several maps. So actually many were involved in the file construction...if it weren't for Dwax playing the map in TrainTable mode...and finding that self contained maps need a global rrt trains file for train table mode to work.
I am sure that Karsten can talk about the discovery process, since he had already received copies of SAMs from Snoopy prior to your great revelation. As a matter of fact Karsten and Mikeyc both received 5 SAMs each to beta test roughly one week prior. Both told Snoopy that the maps where OK. All of those SAM maps failed and needed to be corrected by me.
Interesting that CICs have a set of rules. Maybe you would like to share those rules with the rest of the forum since of the two CIC maps that you have posted, both are done differently. The only thing that they have in common is that they both contain tons of renamed KF files that are not needed.So, CIC maps have a set of rules, mostly being the biggie of totally crash free as well.
So CICs can not crash. Then if that is the case then why the beta test? The fact is that any file system can crash. If all the data is not added correctly then the map will crash. Remember the the missing Orange Juice file in Florida Gold that you forgot to add? Also long runs in late game will cause crashes of any file system on any map, regardless of PC specs. No one on this forum can deny that they do not know that the game as delivered from Fireaxis was not close to being a clean game, even after the two patches, game is still buggy.
As for the discussion of FPK verses a file folder called Assets or anything else, that is hog wash. The game only reads the data once on loading the map. With todays PCs you are not going to convince me that one type loads noticeably faster then the other. After that the FPK and or the folder can be removed and the game played to completion (this has been test on several maps including Florida Gold 400?) . The data is stored in RAM on the PC. If the RAM gets overloaded, the game will CTD.
Make sure I get the test link Lowell. 
