How to install SAMs......

[snoopy55]

How to install SAMs


NOTICE! Because of size, future SAMs may be compressed in a 7z format, then into a regular zip format. Looking at the Europe SAM, a zip is 7.102 Mb in size. A 7z is 4.287 Mb in size. As the forum will not accept 7z files, I zipped the 7z and uploaded it. Open both, and if you prefer to store zipped files, rezip it in zip format. The needed program for 7z format is free and available at:

http://www.7-zip.org/

The reason I'm using to this is that it has a higher compression ratio and thus smaller uploads I will put a notice at any SAM uploaded in this format.

This is not always the case. There are RAR, ZIP, and 7Z compressions used, depending on the mapmaker.
Jancsika May,2010
SAM (Stand Alone Maps)
The following is the instructions for their use.

1) Go into C:\Documents and Settings\(your computers name)\My Documents\My Games and rename the Sid Meier's Railroads! folder you presently have, adding an ending to it, whatever you want.

2) Start the game. When it gets to the main menu, exit.

3) Go into the Sid Meier's Railroads! folder you renamed and copy the 'Settings.ini' file into the newly created Sid Meier's Railroads! folder. You now have the basis for all future SAM and CIC maps.

4) Open the Sid Meier's Railroads! folder, then open the UserMaps folder.

5) Open the Zip file of the map you wish to play and extract the map folder and any FPK files, if present, to the UserMaps folder.

6) Close all folders and play the map.

To play a different map:

1) Open the Sid Meier's Railroads! folder, then open the UserMaps folder.

2) Delete any folders and files contained there.

3) Open the Zip file of the map you wish to play and extract the map folder and any FPK files, if present, to the UserMaps folder.

4) Close all folders and play the map.


Now, some of you may feel that the FPK folders have to be in CustomAssets. That's fine with us, do it as you wish. You need to remember to delete those FPKs from there when you change maps. For the most part, leaving them there should not create a problem, but then we have no intention of sticking every FPK file into CustomAssets and testing it. Do it as per the above instructions and you should have no problems. If you chose to play a CIC style map, follow the instructions given with those.

Keep the Zip files where ever you like. Tijer suggested they be kept in the UserMaps, which will work as the game cannot read Zip files. They could also be burned to a CD or DVD which makes it handy for storage. Each to his own.

We hope you enjoy playing these maps.

[Greybriar]

Thank you for your efforts, snoopy55. Please keep up the good work.

After creating a new Sid Meier's Railroads! folder following snoopy55's instructions, I extracted the contents of a SAM into it and played the new scenario awhile to check it out.

After a couple of hours, I decided to try out another scenario, but instead of deleting the folder containing the files of the scenario I had just played, I renamed the folder to UserMaps - <Scenario Name> and created a new UserMaps folder into which I extracted another SAM. At this point I should mention that I am running Windows Vista and the default path to the UserMaps folder is:
C:\Users\<Your name>\Documents\My Games\Sid Meier's Railroads!\UserMaps.

It is a bit of a bother renaming the scenario folder between scenarios and creating a new UserMaps folder, but at least I can play Railroads! again without it crashing to desktop so often that it was unplayable.

[karsten]

Excellent, Greybriar! I have a similar approach, I simply move whatever map I want to play from a separate Storage Folder into the UserMaps Folder. The important thing to remember is that standalone maps such as SAM and CIC need to be alone in the UserMaps folder (and nothing in the CustomAssets folder) for maximum stability!
For detailed instructions, click here

[snoopy55]

Greybriar - the simplest approach would be to download the Zips into a folder on your system for holding. When you are done with a map, delete it from Usermaps and unzip the one you want to play and insert it. This gives you the need for only one SMR folder, and all the maps you have downloaded are still on your system, ready to unzip and play.

[Greybriar]

Thanks for the tip, Snoopy, but I prefer renaming the UserMaps folder instead of doing all that unzipping and deleting.

[pumanator]

well, I must still be off track.
1st, I renamed the game file, then started game and exited and went back to game file to find the new smr file. next I copied the settings config settings file (file with the pic of a gear on it) from the renamed and pasted it in new smr file. Then extracted African diamonds to the user map file in the new smr file. went back to play...it shows in the set up and starts to load but fails at building up steam.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanx again

[snoopy55]

I'm sorry, you are doing nothing wrong..you just decided to download a map that I probablly zipped at some weird hour of the night . I used the original map folder, not the SAM map folder..... You can find the correct one here:

http://www.hookedgamers.com/forums/view ... 454#p32454

I'll PM Tazz to replace the one in the maps thread.

I do want to thank you for letting me know about it, I do wish someone would have said something much earlier. In all that I do I do get things mixed up sometimes, what I send to be tested may not be what I upload, as can be seen in this case..........

[pumanator]

lol....Ive been banging my noob head over this to get it right and it's just my luck to pick the stale cookie outta the barrel. will try the new and thanx again

[snoopy55]

Been there, Done that..... Work on a SMR project and for some unknown reason it just won't work....can't get that blasted engine to pick up that car or something...hours giving myself a headache....I need a glass of water...then, in reaching for the glass it hits me.....you left out some number or word or object...get back to the computer, make one change....everything is going great!!!! Just gotta get rid of this blasted headache........

[pumanator]

Got it to work thanx

[captaintractor]

Ok, I named my original folder to oldSid Meier's Railroads! ran the game, it made the new folder, i copied and pasted the settings file, now i unzip the SAM maps to the newly created folder? and i leave the renamed folder there? have i got it correct so far, and what is the reason for 2 smr folders?

[CalmDragon]

Apparently you could have many Sid Meier's Railroads! folders with slighty different names, maybe one for each map system. Just rename the current one to something else and the one you want to play to Sid Meier's Railroads!. For all the maps that do not have custom content, but just the standard items that came with the game, they can work in the original Sid Meier's Railroads! folder together just fine. It's the mixing and matching of custom assets that throws the game engine for a loop.

[Star Ranger4]

Well, the reason for the rename is because most of us NEVER throw ANYTHING out... and you might need those files sometime, like if you run across an older style globals map you want to play. In theory you could have just deleted it and as far as the game itself it would have had the same effect...

By renaming it, the game doesnt see the old directory anymore. So it created the new one; net result when you play a SAM or CIC style map, it only loads the pertinent information. Because there is less information to load/keep track of the game runs smoother with fewer crashes. It took a long time for the folks here to figure out that the problem was the sheer amount of kruft that had been jammed into the globals along the way with the globals style that was causing the problem...

but once it was realized, two of the more prolific moders came up with similar but slightly different ways of producing new maps that loaded only the data they needed. But they both still rely on a basicly empty my games/smr directory to work.

[captaintractor]

Neat idea, I play call of duty alot and lots of custom maps and mods and It sometimes cause problems too so I had a duplicate folder name Cod fix files to paste over any corrupt ones. One question I have to 2 smr folders and I have unzipped and played a couple custom maps, Ontario and Maritimes, but I just went to delete them to try something else and I can't find them there not in either custom map folder where does the installer install them too? I didn't pay attention when I installed them..

Scratch that I found them! LOL

[pumanator]

Back again. I am trying to fire up the game after not playing for a while. I re-installed the game, down loaded the patch and unzipped to the predesignated folder. Started the game, exit and rename the SMR folder. Start the game, exit, go to renamed folder and copied settings file to the newly created SMR folder and paste/overwrite.

Heres problem. There is NO user map file in these new folders. I have an old folder from before the re-install and tried to use it but it would not work.

What am I doing wrong.