TenderCars and Dual Engines

Discuss maps, trains and other modding topics
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Warll
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Post by Warll » Fri May 25, 2007 4:29 am

Save games do not work if all the XMLs are not the same as when the save was made. This is why giving someone a save will often not work.
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choobacca
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Post by choobacca » Fri May 25, 2007 2:40 pm

I have been trying to solve the save game issue, but haven't. So far I have seen that loading a save usually works when the game content is fresh in memory, like quitting to Main Menu, then loading often works.
But leaving the game or after a crash doesn't load the save. So then I started a new game and tried loading from there, then the save loaded fine.

So I don't think there is anything wrong with the save file or the new game content as the save does load...eventually

I realize that the new Basin And Range engines and train cars loads a lot of new files. And trying to load them all in at once from a save game is having trouble. Again, another defect in the game that we have to try to work around. :(

So I am trying to come up with a sequence that will work to load save games successfully.

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Lowell
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Post by Lowell » Fri May 25, 2007 5:01 pm

Have you tried removing all your trains and train cars and see if the default setup gives you the same trouble?

I couldn't get into any type of game I saved on this map. I would have to play the whole thing all the way through because I can never get back in to a saved map.

Something isn't right somewhere...the game isn't happy. I have alot of content on my Florida Gold map...and I have not had any such issues...until I was playing and liked the zebra gp7 you made. I placed it in my maps train list and all **** broke loose. Try playing a few other maps and see if any default trains or cars have been affected.

I think I am going to stick with the global method after all...it was my bad loading a new map while in the middle of building mine in the first place. I will have to pull all those files out for now, decorations, fpk's, Basin xml's and all.

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dwax
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Post by dwax » Fri May 25, 2007 5:06 pm

Lowell

Try this and see what happens. Save the game, and then select start a new game then once your in the game go and see if you can load the saved game from there.
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snoopy55
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Post by snoopy55 » Fri May 25, 2007 7:16 pm

choobacca - I tested out what I was talking about, setting the '<szCar>_bnsf</szCar>' to '<szCar>_v2</szCar>' in the GLOBALS. When I ran Basin and Range, I still got the BNSF cars you created with no problem.
Doing this does not take the look away from your map, it just eases things for future mappers and players who can't figure out why they can't seem to get what they want to happen.
I'm correct 97% of the time..... who cares about the other 4%....

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Lowell
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Post by Lowell » Sun May 27, 2007 5:47 pm

...Dwax I have already tried that...it's okay I am busy with my project right now.

I think the amount of content is not the trouble. The game reads every map file and the whole custom assets folders every time it saves or writes train car data. It scans through the whole thing every game ...whether I am playing my map or yours it still reads all those files...everything every time. The only way it would have trouble speed scanning is if you have files with "like names" or scenario map files that have errors inside them.

Do you guys know what they used to encrypt the scenario game files? Maybe we can start a game then when it crashes we could read through the saved scenario file and see something? In Darwinia I use a Red Shirt to unscramble the games saved game files and that tells me things...maybe it might be a help here. Obviously if it is writing a scenario file and then you can't get back into it there is something wrong...and I do not think it is related to the amount of content you have either...otherwise we can all stop making new stuff for the game as it would be full. :D

choobacca
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Post by choobacca » Mon May 28, 2007 7:14 pm

When I try to load a save game from the main menu after starting the game fresh, the load fails. But when I try to load a save game after starting a new game or right after playing the map, the save loads fine.
This leads me to believe that if the game files are still in memory and can be loaded quickly from the files, then the save will load. But if everything has to be loaded into memory fresh from the game files, the savegame will not load.

Something that I have been suspecting might be a problem is that I have multiple KFM files that refer to the same NIF and KF files, and multiple NIF files that refer to the same DDS files. This file sharing saves a large number of files and disk space, but could be a problem if the game is trying to load all the files at the same time and could be running into locked files and failing. But if the contents of the files are still in memory, the files will load quickly and not see a problem. Does this make sense?

I am trying to find the reason that the map will start fine, and a savegame will load fine when the game files are still in memory. But the savegame will fail to load from a fresh start.

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Dr Frag
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Post by Dr Frag » Wed May 30, 2007 2:24 am

You have a good point there. I have had Save Game loading issues but have been able to load from the Main Menu occassionally if I keep trying so a file locking situation could certainly been the issue.

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Lowell
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Post by Lowell » Tue Jun 05, 2007 2:22 am

choobacca wrote: Something that I have been suspecting might be a problem is that I have multiple KFM files that refer to the same NIF and KF files, and multiple NIF files that refer to the same DDS files. This file sharing saves a large number of files and disk space, but could be a problem if the game is trying to load all the files at the same time and could be running into locked files and failing. But if the contents of the files are still in memory, the files will load quickly and not see a problem. Does this make sense?
I couldn't get the saved maps to load either way. From a fresh start or start a new map then load the old save...nope no good.

On my map I have more content than yours now...and even the 400 square unit map runs great and saves and re enters just fine. I made all my stuff global so far. All unique name sets. To get yours to work I removed my large collection of maps...stripping down to just a few maps. Removed the old demo map, removed the old Basin demo FPK, Super Bowl Express and Chicago To The Rockies had to go...some sort of conflict...then it started to work. I have been out of town for a week but before I left that is what I found.

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