[thegrindre]

Thanks, Herb. Worked like a charm, first time out. :D
I've created my very first mini route up and runnin' like a champ. :good:

Suggestion: Why don't you append/amend your first post to include these instructions as well?

weeeeeee
:bd_4:

[Huecuvoe]

atsf37l, on 16 June 2010 - 10:04 PM, said:

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\MinirouteFolderName\launcher.exe" -runeditor

This is of course just my own opinion and should not be taken to seriously but ...

NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! NEVER!

run launcher.exe in a mini route. It is the spawn of :bd_4: and it's only function is to read the registry to find the original installation directory of MSTS and then do the wrong thing!

You can access all of the editors in a mini route from train.exe using ...

"<Path-To-Miniroute>\train.exe" -dev:hal -toolset

-dev:hal has something to do with setting the graphics mode and may be omitted. These are the command line parameters launcher.exe uses to invoke the editors.

The reason you should not use launcher.exe is that it will invoke train.exe from the original installation folder. This can cause problems if you have a mixture of original MSTS and/or MSTSBin mini routes.

[charlie]

Huecuvoe, on 17 June 2010 - 05:59 AM, said:

This is of course just my own opinion and should not be taken to seriously but ...
NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! run launcher.exe in a mini route. It is the spawn of the devil and it's only function is to read the registry to find the original installation directory of MSTS and then do the wrong thing!

You can access all of the editors in a mini route from train.exe using ...

"<Path-To-Miniroute>\train.exe" -dev:hal -toolset

I surely sign up to most of that but with one quibble. You can do RE, AE, and CE tasks in the mini, but you can never address the RGE there since it will only use registry entries. So generate a new route with the main install RGE (this is forced even if you're attempting to open the RGE in the mini), and then transfer it to the mini install...

regards,
charlie

[thegrindre]

Sheesh! You scared me half to death. :D
I changed 'em all over and that works, too. :bd_4:

[atsf37l]

Rich, was that never? :bigboss: I'll have to look into that. I've been using launcher as that is what MSTS originally set up in my shortcuts. But what you say makes sense. :wheelchair:

[atsf37l]

OK, 20 mini routes and the main folder updated with -toolset off of train.exe. I am not sure I have ever experienced any specific problems with using launcher but some of the random fubars that occur might be exorcised by going to train.exe -toolset. It does work just fine for all things, except RGE as Charlie noted, so why take a chance, right? :wheelchair:

I'll be updating the original instructions. :bigboss:

[Huecuvoe]

atsf37l, on 18 June 2010 - 01:32 AM, said:

Rich, was that never? :wheelchair:

Well ... hardly ever!

No, make that never! I even delete launcher.exe from all of my mini routes. However, Charlie is correct in that some functions expect MSTS files to be located in the registry directory path. This includes the RGE, Route_Riter and Conbuilder. The way I handle this slight annoyance is that, depending on how you look at it, either none or all of my mini routes (including the original installation) are located at the MSTS registry location. I'm almost ashamed to admit it ... I am a junction junkie. I've sought medical treatment and even tried 12 step programs, but I just can't kick the junction habit.

For those who don't know, a junction is a directory symbolic link, a pointer to another directory location; something like a UNIX soft link.

http://en.wikipedia...._junction_point

My original MSTS installation was located at:

C:\Local\Games\Train Simulator

All of my mini routes are located in:

C:\Local\Games\MSTS Routes

After installation, I moved the original MSTS installation to C:\Local\Games\MSTS Routes\OEM Train Simulator and wrote a GUI front end to display a menu of mini routes and handle the junction thingy.

 TrainSimulatorWizard.jpg (33.81K)
Number of downloads: 7

"The current default Route Group" is my term for which mini route thinks it is located on the MSTS default registry path. Mini routes can be "played" from anywhere, but selecting Options will "spin the turntable" to line up the target mini route as the default Route Group.

Before anyone asks, I'm not going to share Train Simulator Wizard (at least not now). Unfortunately, it requires some knowledgeable configuration and expects support files to be in specific locations. Junctions are wonderful thingies but they can also be dangerous. You may think you're just deleting the junction and end up deleting all of the original files (for real). It's not really complicated, but I'd rather not get hate mail from someone who has accidentally deleted all of his carefully installed payware routes (and forgot to make a backup).

[cr-stagg]

Huecuvoe, on 18 June 2010 - 10:02 AM, said:

Well ... hardly ever!

No, make that never! I even delete launcher.exe from all of my mini routes. However, Charlie is correct in that some functions expect MSTS files to be located in the registry directory path. This includes the RGE, Route_Riter and Conbuilder. .......................

FYI for those that have bought ConBuilder but have not upgraded to ver 5, ConBuilder now comes with MSTSmanager which allows you to select the Mini or Main Install that you want to use and automatically changes the registery and runs ConBuilder, or drives Train in the SIM or runs the Editor in the new path.

[charlie]

Huecuvoe, on 18 June 2010 - 10:02 AM, said:

However, Charlie is correct in that some functions expect MSTS files to be located in the registry directory path. This includes the RGE, Route_Riter and Conbuilder.

S'more FYI. RouteRiter will serve the main install and any mini install you have. Just use the left-hand pane to navigate to the install of interest, select a route and confirm it...

regards,
charlie

[bug45]

atsf37l, on 16 June 2010 - 10:04 PM, said:

Piece of cake. Right click on the desktop and select "New" and then "Shortcut". Then type in the location of your mini-route launcher such as "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\MiniRouteFolderName\launcher.exe" - with the quotes - where "MiniRouteFolderName" is the name of......wait for it......your Mini-Route folder! Then click on next. Type in the name you want to use, for example, MiniRoute Tools. Then hit finish. You now have a shortcut to the launcher program but one more step is necessary. Right click on the icon and select Properties. Target will be highlited. Hit the end button and type space -runeditor behind the quotation marks. The whole line should look like this:

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\MinirouteFolderName\launcher.exe" -runeditor

Double-clicking on this icon will now open your Editor.

;)

I might give this a try

[R H Steele]

atsf37l, on 18 June 2010 - 09:46 AM, said:

OK, 20 mini routes and the main folder updated with -toolset off of train.exe. I am not sure I have ever experienced any specific problems with using launcher but some of the random fubars that occur might be exorcised by going to train.exe -toolset. It does work just fine for all things, except RGE as Charlie noted, so why take a chance, right? :wheelchair:
I'll be updating the original instructions. :bigboss:

The only place I have a complete install is the default directory installed from the msts CD,s. All other installs (34 total - some with one route, others with three or more routes in the install) only contain the minimum needed to run msts, the only executable in them is train.exe. The installs are loosely grouped by geography with some routes given their own install - Rick's Monon, Pacific Surliner, PRR East Reg and PRR East Template, LS&I, ond a few others.

If I need the editors a shortcut is made from the train.exe file in the specific install using the command line -toolset (along with memory and any other parameters I choose).

I have these 34 installs on three separate disks, the main on the OS disk; a new install on a new internal SSD drive I'm trying out (so far it works great with OR and all else); an internal storage/backup disk; and an external backup disk. The msts editors, Route-Riter, ConBuilder and all other associated utility programs work with all the routes (120 or so) in the 34 installs on all three disks.

I use junction points for global, sound, common,cab and common.snd. Also use ConBuilders MSTS manager to change registry entries when needed. Both msts and OR can run any of the routes. The original default install is in a folder named 1TS and the 34 other installs (mini/multi-routes) are in a folder named 2TS.

BIG double :hi: :hi: and a :) to atsf371.

This excellent tutorial on mini-routes started the whole shebang.

[Genma Saotome]

So Gerry, tell us what you are doing with the \trains folder(s).

[R H Steele]

Genma Saotome, on 28 September 2014 - 07:24 PM, said:

So Gerry, tell us what you are doing with the \trains folder(s).

Trying to keep up with your threads and others about different methods/ways of constructing file heirarchies and linking them together. Following along.....way back in the dust.

Each of the install folders has a trains folder within, consists and trainset. So that's at least 34 separate trainsets. That's a considerable amount of duplication going on.

I have been wondering about how to simplify it. Fact is, I'm just not up to speed on what has been discussed. It all seems theoretically possible to do, but I'm not there yet in practice.

Copying and backing up is not much of a problem, I use CopyWhiz and it can copy from one directory over multiple disks, no problem. I've always been rigorous about backups. That seems particularly important with train sims.

What I would prefer is one trainset location that each install would access according to it's needs. ConBuilder and Route_riter should only "see" what that install uses - not the whole master trainset folder.

[Mike B]

MSTS can easily (in my experience) handle having a dozen routes in one mini route installation. So I've organized according to region and type: the default (one-offs and routes that use an installer); BNSF (Transcon & a few others - might split if I ever add some of the better Marias, Lakeside, etc. routes); L&PS (also put BCR & Red Arrow here); PRR; and Rockies. Open Rails has no problem finding all of them, since they're all within the umbrella trainsims folder I set up at the root level of the disk. Keeps things from getting way out of hand for maintenance purposes.

Route-Riter does have problems finding the non-default mini routes, though I recently figured out how to fix that. Can't remember how right this instant, though. :good2:

Just wondering: for routes that use an installer (not just extract a zip and copy to a routes folder), can the installer query the registry for where the default installation is, then modify the install.bat (or equivalent) to copy the default route items from there? Would reduce cruft that's now induced by requiring the default routes to be in the mini route folder when you install a new route. Another way might be to have a command-line parameter on the install.bat that would allow adding an explicit default-installation directory - if omitted, the batch file would have a null parameter (%1) on each line and operate as it does now. Need to try that...