Settle to Carlisle ... never a dull moment

[OldProf]

As anyone who has tried writing scenarios knows, the process is not exactly simple or easy. And this situation is not helped one bit by a route that keeps shape-shifting, such as the Settle to Carlisle from RSC.

When I first looked at this route with the intention of writing a complicated freight shunting scenario, I noticed that not all of its signals appeared in the 2D map. Most of those located in the Carlisle Freight Yard appeared, as did some along the mainline tracks. When I opened my scenario for additional editing today and then gave it a test run, I discovered that no signals at all appear on the 2D map, either while editing or while running. This may seem like a minor irritation, but it is only one of the things that constantly and inconsistently change, without warning, of course, on this route.

So I feel obliged to warn other scenario writers that anything more complex than a long passenger run is likely to be extremely difficult to program on this route.

Regards,

[Machinist]

Isn't the icons thingy on 2D Map, on Scenario Editor, related to the settings of game? Some weeks ago I was tweaking and testing an engine on BSB route with all at Highest (all icons were there), but when I changed some settings to low/medium (in order to make fps raise up whilst effectively playing the scenario) the icons gone away; and further came back after I reset all to Highest again. May be that?
Since than I'm simply tweaking engines/scenarios with all settings at Highest, sometimes at one digit fps though.

[OldProf]

Isn't the icons thingy on 2D Map, on Scenario Editor, related to the settings of game? Some weeks ago I was tweaking and testing an engine on BSB route with all at Highest (all icons were there), but when I changed some settings to low/medium (in order to make fps raise up whilst effectively playing the scenario) the icons gone away; and further came back after I reset all to Highest again. May be that?
Since than I'm simply tweaking engines/scenarios with all settings at Highest, sometimes at one digit fps though.

That could be so, but I run RW at very high settings and, more importantly, have not changed any settings since adding this route to my installation. I have also verified the cache several times since adding this route, so I'm firmly convinced that the changes I'm observing are the result of "tweaking" by RailSim.

[Machinist]

My experience comes from BSB Route, but I've already see some weirds things on new routes. Unfortunately I don't own Settlle to Carisle route, otherwise I'd try to confirm that you are right, I'm quite sure you are. They are making changes without thinking in all other possible implications (in other areas, like scripting scenarios) that changes can bring.

[OldProf]

And ... ... they're back ... those signal indicators in the 2D map, I mean. They reappeared yesterday ... perhaps they'd just gone to a convention, or even to their local. I did not verify the cache or even defragment it ... they just disappeared one day and reappeared a couple of days later. I'd ask the RSC folks about this, but they're obviously busy sending boilerplate responses to twitter messages these days. I wouldn't want to distract them from such important work.

My new scenario for Settle to Carlisle should be available soon (not RSC soon, either).

[Machinist]

You did mention verify cache and defragment, but nothing about clear cache. Could you cleared the game cache automatically? I mean, as you supposed and usually does every time you are starting TS2012? That's the only thing that can explain the convention thingy. I have a batch routine to clear cache before re-loading a scenario, whilst still in-game (ie no need to exit and restart TS2012), that has helped me to scare some kind of ghosts.

[OldProf]

!*don-know!* You did mention verify cache and defragment, but nothing about clear cache. Could you cleared the game cache automatically? I mean, as you supposed and usually does every time you are starting TS2012? That's the only thing that can explain the convention thingy. I have a batch routine to clear cache before re-loading a scenario, whilst still in-game (ie no need to exit and restart TS2012), that has helped me to scare some kind of ghosts.

"Convention thingy?" what's that? Clearing the cache is the first thing I do after launching RW3. Unless I'm mistaken, clearing the cache deletes unwanted blueprint.pak files: those that sometimes hitchhike on installation programs. However, the program itself creates some blueprint.pak files, which it uses to keep track of various aspects of play and speed up the process of resuming a scenario, for example. It seems to me that clearing the cache during a game session might create more problems than it would be likely to solve, but I cannot be sure about that.

[Machinist]

"Convention thingy?" what's that?

That you mentioned...

And ... ... they're back ... those signal indicators in the 2D map, I mean. They reappeared yesterday ... perhaps they'd just gone to a convention, or even to their local.

It seems to me that clearing the cache during a game session might create more problems than it would be likely to solve, but I cannot be sure about that.

You can clear whilst in session, but not while playing a scenario, ie you can clear before load the scenario. I'm aboslutely sure it doesn't hurt. I've been using this feature one year long now and never had any problem, in the other way I solved many problems when working with bluepritns and loading sucessively same scenario many times. I've already explained in details here:
viewtopic.php?f=30&t=5256&p=53118&hilit=CLEAR+CACHE#p53118

BTW I found past week that you can set the game to NOT create blueprints caches: using a preload setting on Steam, is awesome!

Code: Select all

-DontUseBlueprintCache