Railworks America

Backup - backup - backup!

I have a big problem with Steam and TS2014. After purchasing the Surfliner add-on I attempted to start RW and only a portion of the window was viewable (right top-quarter of the desktop - game loaded, but I was unable to view and access any menus - only the "Quit Game" button was accessible) Thinking I was missing a file somewhere, I then verified the integrity of game cache from the Steam options window. After completion, all my custom routes, those I had in development, were deleted from my TS install (folders intact, but all internal files removed by Steam). Only two routes were unaffected - one being the ScaleRail version of Cajon, and another route a friend sent for me to fix.

Fortunately I had most of the files backed up, but haven't carefully gone through my files to see what's missing. Nevertheless, this could be a bad sign for anyone wishing to develop for TS2014, and regardless of the backups, something I'm pretty upset about.

I also discovered all content under Assets\3DTrains got wiped. Every d.a.m.n file, including ScaleRail, Rural Landscapes, etc.

Thanks for the warning! I was just about to start setting up a 2014 dev environment for the Alleghany. Think I'll wait a while longer!

Backup, Backup and let me add this. make a Backup

I just had a look at my "C> Program Files(x86)> Steam> steamapps> common> Railworks> assets> 3D Trains, folder seems intact, 226Mb, 3,999 files, 93 folders. Sound right?

Last verify was after the upgrade to TS2014, I try not to do it a lot, after reading all the grief some of y'all have been going thru.

I had my entire folder deleted, I copied the folder again, did a verify ,, the same result, no gnash dev folder in assets.

Thanks for the warning.

For an extra bonus I can no longer run the game in offline mode on my desktop or on a brand new [ 2 hours use ] laptop

ain't this fun.

What I found was that any assets not part of the Steam library were deleted from my system (custom assets and routes - 3DTrains, RCAP, etc.). My last backup of Tehachapi was 9/26, so anything added afterward is gone. Fortunately, the verify didn't touch the Source folder or it's contents. A few hours pulling my hair and exporting files, and Tehachapi is back in biz (minus the few weeks of scenery placement and distant terrain experiments).

I'm not sure what I did, and everything worked fine this morning. I only did a verify because the sim wouldn't launch properly after purchasing the Surfliner route.

arizonachris wrote:I just had a look at my "C> Program Files(x86)> Steam> steamapps> common> Railworks> assets> 3D Trains, folder seems intact, 226Mb, 3,999 files, 93 folders. Sound right?

Not sure - I simply re-installed my downloads from 3DTrains. It was the stuff not on the server that set me back a bit.

So Steam's features and services are not to be trusted?

The add-on database and the store buttons used to be blank when offline, perhaps now Steam wants to populate them? I think it is not intentional but an error in communication between gamemanager.dll and the Steam client bot service.

First of all I don't understand why you guys develop on the same install you use to play. Make a copy of your Steam install somewhere else,check the system registry doesn't point to it and Steam can't find it for verification. Play on the online install, develop on the other one. Once your asset is ready, you can pack it into a .rwp and import it into your playing installs.
Keep the developer install free from non essential DLC, repaints etc. also helps save space and time. If you develop for USA, you can delete all non needed UK and Euro routes and asset folders.

Indeed, as from the 37.9f update I also have the "Fetching latest Database" hang on the loading screen while Steam is offline. The Steam overlay still works, so how offline am I actually? Tried to disable the Railworks in-game overlay, but that makes no difference. Over at UKTS they are raging mad over all these issues suddenly cropping up and the apparent lack of testing and QA.

Re-installing the previous gamemanager.dll provides a temporary solution.
At last resort drop in a non-Steam crack into the copy of your installs you use for developing.

No matter where we develop (ex: I use a copy that never goes online), if Steam is going to randomly delete 3rd party assets there will be no use in distributing them. Surely this is not the intention?

Hi Tori, didn't know you were back. Sorry about not noticing and welcoming you back properly.

I think this file deletion behaviour is unintentional until clarified by RSC. I wholy understand it is off putting for you developers.
Overall, the apparent lack of control by the RSC/Steam tandem is very disturbing and worrysome.

By all means be cautious, make a working copy of your development install and daily backups just in case.

I'll stick to my practice of having multiple installs and allowing only one 'under Steam'.

Thanks for the heads up on this Marc. I always backup after every session, be it one hour of work or five hours. Glad to see you are up and running again.

I verified my game cache at least 20 times this week. Still have my 2 routes in progress, still have all of the 3D Trains addons, free and pay. All my Great Northerner routes and rolling stock are still there, the Montour route is still there. Even the P&LE and Baltimore routes. They all work and are missing nothing. All my new RCAP stuff is still there as well.

I have however seen many posts where people are now missing something on Steam, UKTS and TS.com, fortunately I am not one of them. No clue what the problem could be.

artimrj wrote:I verified my game cache at least 20 times this week. Still have my 2 routes in progress, still have all of the 3D Trains addons, free and pay. All my Great Northerner routes and rolling stock are still there, the Montour route is still there. Even the P&LE and Baltimore routes. They all work and are missing nothing. All my new RCAP stuff is still there as well.

I have however seen many posts where people are now missing something on Steam, UKTS and TS.com, fortunately I am not one of them. No clue what the problem could be.

What he said although not twenty times but several. I have dozens of third party routes and assets on mine.

I was testing to see if files I pulled from an .AP file and editted would get deleted. Some are and some are not. Still scratching my head over this one.