Basin & Range Demo map

[atani]

ps atani: i've got my own new industries, goods, traincars etc
by installing a new map (like this one), will this overwrite my files?

The installer code will check the various files for an existing entry based on the name (tag in the case of trains). If it doesn't find an existing entry it will attempt to create one. If there is one there it will leave it as-is.

if so, the best solution is that you take a backup of all the (global) files at install and replace those when doing an uninstall! + don't forget also that there are more places where 'global' files can be stored, but for sure, an unistall should make your system "exactly!!!" the same as before!!!

Currently uninstall does not remove any entries from the XML files. I have thought about how to go about "cleaning" the entries but the problem is when you have two maps installed that both try to add a new entry, the first one will work and second will skip that. If you uninstall the first one it would revert to the original files (without the new entry) and then the second map will CTD. I had tossed around the idea of creating a mini "registry" of sorts for the custom content so that it could be tracked on a per-map basis for what each one would "install" and then do an automatic cleanup of the XMLs and FPKs during uninstall for entries which are no longer referenced by maps, I havent gotten that far on this idea so far though..

i would still be much happier if also the normal files just in a zip or folder were included, because as you see it isn't workly perfect... I hope you will understand...

Agreed, the custom maps and installers are still a work in progress. I am open to all feedback on any of the installers or the scripts themselves if people have them...

Mike

[choobacca]

Thanks for your help in finding the shaders problem with the map guys. I tested with the latest TGA file from Big Papa and it ran fine with Low Shaders.

choobacca, could you maybe test a little bit more on this? (i'm not using low med or high shaders). Also that remark on RRT_Events, did you know that? or wanna test that??? THNX

gforce,
I added a RRT_Events_BasinAndRange.xml and took out the events related to Fish and Arms since we don't have these goods on the map. I left all others as we use all the other goods.
I played for about 10 minutes before the game CTD. I looked in the log file and the last line says:
[7185.502] DBG: RANDOMEVENT: 3217

This was the only line that said RANDOMEVENT. So the event crashed the game. If I don't use a local map Events xml file, the map never crashes.
What am I doing wrong?

[choobacca]

Technically the install dir is not My Games but the directory just under that which is Sid Miers Railroads by default. I installed my game into C:\Games\Railroads! so the folder under My Games is Railroads! not SMR. When I tried to install, I pointed it to C:\D & S\drfrag\My Docs\My Games\Railorads! yet it still installed to C:\D & S\drfrag\My Docs\My Games\Sid Miers Railorads! The installer seems to assume the Sid Miers Railorads! folder will always be the install dir.

Dr Frag and dwax,
The problem is that the installer prompts you for a map location (which the installer has hard coded at the moment, but I am trying to find a good solution to this, hence this discussion) but how does the installer know where you store the FPK and global XML files? It has to either assume you have a similar directory structure as the game's default, or it must prompt you for 3 directory paths.
Any suggestions?

Atani,
Have you thought about how we could handle custom install directories?

Thanks guys. Just trying to make the best system we can here.

[atani]

Technically the install dir is not My Games but the directory just under that which is Sid Miers Railroads by default. I installed my game into C:\Games\Railroads! so the folder under My Games is Railroads! not SMR. When I tried to install, I pointed it to C:\D & S\drfrag\My Docs\My Games\Railorads! yet it still installed to C:\D & S\drfrag\My Docs\My Games\Sid Miers Railorads! The installer seems to assume the Sid Miers Railorads! folder will always be the install dir.

Does the SMR installer even give you an option to change this directory? I don't think it does... Also the paths need to be mangled into the installer scripts in various places since most installers are broken into multiple file groups (either good or bad, not sure).

Dr Frag and dwax,
The problem is that the installer prompts you for a map location (which the installer has hard coded at the moment, but I am trying to find a good solution to this, hence this discussion) but how does the installer know where you store the FPK and global XML files? It has to either assume you have a similar directory structure as the game's default, or it must prompt you for 3 directory paths.
Any suggestions?

There are a few ways to detect this. In the registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Firaxis Games\Sid Meier's Railroads! there is a key INSTALLDIR which points to the root of the game install, from there we can navigate to CustomAssets (link) to the proper custom assets location. Then we can install based on that vs what the installer defaults to now. Once this is working we can then disable the "install dir" screen since it would pick the right one always.

Atani,
Have you thought about how we could handle custom install directories?

Thanks guys. Just trying to make the best system we can here.

Yup, thought about it before putting out the initial works, but unfortunately never got things fully working with customized directories.

Mike

[Taggart]

First, the engines on this map are terrific. Great job with a custom map!

But this is also the first map I've come across where some industries flash between normal colors and a grrensih color. Also the locomotives stay greenish most of their trips.

Anyone hear of this or why it might be happening?

My color problems don't seem to be related to shaders low or medium. I run medium most of the time. Here are a few screenshots showing how everything is fine and then only the industries turn green or the engines are fine and all of a sudden they will turn green.

Taggart

[choobacca]

My color problems don't seem to be related to shaders low or medium. I run medium most of the time. Here are a few screenshots showing how everything is fine and then only the industries turn green or the engines are fine and all of a sudden they will turn green.
Taggart

Taggart,
Wow, I've never seen this before. It looks like it happens on other maps too. Are your video drivers up to date? Any special settings in your video drivers control panel?

[choobacca]

Whoa! How did you get green engines?? I tried to change colors and couldn't do it.

I removed the customizable color and decal options from the models, so you can't change these things on these special engines. Sorry.

[Taggart]

Taggart,
Wow, I've never seen this before. It looks like it happens on other maps too. Are your video drivers up to date? Any special settings in your video drivers control panel?

I recently installed a new Geforce 7600GS (8x AGP) along with the Nvidia 91.47 drivers.

Did not have this problem under the Nvidia 6600 but didn't have this new map loaded at that time either.

[gforce]

choobacca,
send me the events file if you want,
i was drastic on addapting the events file, i just let 1 event there
and it was no problem,
maybe it's a particullary event?
if i take a look at my map and its events, i don't have an event related with shares but i do have a new event for a new good overthere and here i'm sure, i've been playing the map for maybe 10h at once without any single crash and with events
another question: to reduce player-color on trains (so the texture only or just a little line of player color), how is that done? i've been playing with this and i believe i have put the alpha channel of _nrml.dds file to white background?

ps: phew! graphics problems solved, still it's a pitty (surely when you colored the map and suddenly you have to change to yellow grass), still, the explanation isn't so clear to me and i think it's pretty hard to know for sure if a map will work in advance (or is there an easier explanation or color-count or no-green-next to a cliff-story behind), but i know where to look for.i did like the green mountains much more then the yellow ones, i think i'll stick to my addapted version then...

we can all be lucky i don't have green locos, imagine, i would be complaining again, but admit, i come pretty fast with a kind-of-to-full-solution hé

don't blame the 'low' system, blame the program(mer(s)) (sorry if it was you)

[Big Papa]

Hello gforce,

I think you are bit out of line here. Go do what you want, we are all still waiting for your map. This is a bug in the game. We have resolved the issue for now. I did spend a lot of time on the detail, and it is painful to see the errors when they occur. All I ask is for posters here to be polite when replying to errors or with suggestions. We do not live on this site and we are not all in the same time zone. We do not all have the same trains in our countries. If you don't like choo & Big papa maps, don't download them. If you take all the detail out of any map, it will work. I have pushed as far as I can, and found the limit. So keep it green if you want, but don't rant on that you have done better. We are here because we want to be here, but you are making it harder to continue.

Sincerely

Big Papa

[gforce]

I'm not blaming you papa!
You must have been reading your own thoughts.
I mean when i say: it's sucks for you when you need to change the colors when working for hours on the map, and i'm really sorry for you. (you're even pretty pissed off and attacks me for that?) i'm not telling you my map is better, i don't post it as better, i was more pointing out that i feel sad that i can't run your original map (with the green fields in the mountains, i'm just more happy with the original green created by you and not forced to change)!!! (really!) (it's a compliment!)
you're not telling me either that editing a map is programming, so don't get offended!
you should better type the word THANX because i've been trying to solve the problem as well...
(reread the message and don't put out the lines, i also asked at choobacca to send the events file and help him out with this)
Don't say i don't wanna help!
ps: waiting for my map and ideas, i'm not payed by firaxis, i'm not here to save the game, let the modellers do their thing without a watching eye on our backs, don't forget that alot of my questions and remarks have been very usefull for many people!!!
(i expect a reply when you're cooled down)! i do
(and for those that do speak, work for firaxis get it stated out instead of pretending being a normal guy, and yes in this way you could have some nasty remarks but that's all because the game is released in such a instable version and this resposability is decided by firaxis (in global))
so for all the people working, reading and posting for firaxis, do introduce yourself, what you can do, do not and will trying to help and so on, i don't leave questions waiting for a reply)
i did study psychology and computer science

[gforce]

atani,
about the remark on 'what if another map is also using a good, so then this map will not work after an uninstall',
that's not correct,
if you put exactly the same situation as before there will never be a problem!
Let's say i've got a map with good X, and i do install a map using a good X and Y, after uninstall i will still have a good X
if another map also using good Y, and i install with your installer, then this install will add good Y and this map will work fine.
you see?

[snoopy55]

gforce - what the problem he is speaking of is, if you have Holiday Scenario loaded, which uses Toy Soldiers, and then you install Scrooge Holiday, which also uses Toy Soldiers, and you don't want Holiday Scenario anymore and you delete it, it would delete the Toy Soldiers from the GLOBAL, and then Scrooge Holiday would CTD because of the Toy Soldiers are missing. The installer did not add Toy Soldiers for each map, it loaded it the first time, and when the second map was loaded, it first looked for Toy Soldiers, and when it saw it was there, went on to the next thing.

Does that help to explain it?

[Big Papa]

gforce,

My accusations are out of line. I see that I am wrong in my logic and I have maybe gotten lost in translation. For these statements I am sorry.

I encourage all posters to maintain discipline and be professional in their posts.

Thanks to all who have enjoyed our map.
There is a lot of thought that has gone into creating these new items. The train paints are not changeable as we are trying our best to replicate real paint schemes.

Big Papa

[choobacca]

choobacca,
send me the events file if you want,
i was drastic on addapting the events file, i just let 1 event there
and it was no problem,
maybe it's a particullary event?
another question: to reduce player-color on trains (so the texture only or just a little line of player color), how is that done? i've been playing with this and i believe i have put the alpha channel of _nrml.dds file to white background?

gforce,
I attached the Events xml for you to review. I have tried other variations of this, but the game always crashes when I use a local Events xml file, on other maps too. Do you have a RRT_Events.xml in your CustomAssets\XML directory? I don't but instead rely on the game's default in Program Files.

The alpha channel of the _nrml.dds defines the places where the user can change the colors of the texture. Making this all white means the user cannot change the colors.