Elvas Tower: Setting Up Mini Routes - Elvas Tower

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Setting Up Mini Routes A How To Rate Topic: -----

#21 Inactive_idahostrongs_*

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Posted 28 September 2014 - 04:25 PM

Thanks for the insight.

#22 User is offline   R H Steele 

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Posted 28 September 2014 - 07:13 PM

View Postatsf37l, 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.

#23 User is offline   Genma Saotome 

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Posted 28 September 2014 - 07:24 PM

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

#24 User is offline   R H Steele 

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Posted 28 September 2014 - 09:35 PM

View PostGenma 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.

#25 User is offline   Mike B 

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Posted 22 October 2014 - 08:32 AM

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...

#26 User is offline   Fred 

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Posted 22 October 2014 - 08:52 AM

View PostMike B, on 22 October 2014 - 08:32 AM, said:

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:



If you remember how you did it please pass it along. I have a similar setup with mini routes, and haven't been able to use route-riter since I made the change.

#27 User is offline   atsf37l 

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Posted 22 October 2014 - 12:22 PM

View PostMike B, on 22 October 2014 - 08:32 AM, said:

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...

For those routes I run the .exe and send it to my default Train Simulator folder where I have the essential six folders and little else. Install it there, run the install.bat and when it is finished move the route's folder from the default TS to wherever I want it to reside. :good2:

#28 User is offline   Mike B 

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Posted 16 November 2014 - 06:47 PM

View PostFred, on 22 October 2014 - 08:52 AM, said:

If you remember how you did it please pass it along. I have a similar setup with mini routes, and haven't been able to use route-riter since I made the change.


Move up the folder tree in the left side list until you get to the level above your mini-route folders. Double click. All your mini-routes should now be showing. Double click on the mini-route folder you want to check things in. Go to the 'Files' menu in the RR menu bar (left-most menu). Choose "MSTS Path". Click the "Select" button. The mini-route now is your top level and you can check routes within it.

Maybe not intuitive, but it works.

Cheers! :)

#29 User is offline   amtrakconductor 

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Posted 28 December 2014 - 05:15 PM

Cool. How do you set up your shortcut if your sim is on a different drive, other than the default, like mine is?

Thanks.

Wes

#30 User is offline   Mike B 

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Posted 28 December 2014 - 06:32 PM

View Postamtrakconductor, on 28 December 2014 - 05:15 PM, said:

Cool. How do you set up your shortcut if your sim is on a different drive, other than the default, like mine is?

Thanks.

Wes


The shortcut is simply to a non-C: drive. For instance (there are many ways to do this, but I found this the simplest for me): I have all of my stuff in a D:\trainsims folder (with msts, msts-prr, msts-lps, orts, routeriter etc. folders under it). The shortcut for starting msts at the default location then just says D:\trainsims\msts\train.exe (with suitable switches for -mem, etc., ALL INSIDE QUOTE MARKS because there will be spaces), with the initial working directory as D:\trainsims\msts. Easiest way to create the shortcut is to go to the train.exe location in msts, right click on it, and choose 'Create Shortcut' - then edit it for your switches and move or "pin" it to the desktop.

The formal installation (from the CDs) in this arrangement is in the D:\trainsims\msts folder, so the registry is loaded with that location. A shortcut for starting in one of the mini-routes just changes the msts folder name for train.exe and the startup directory, so it's an easy copy-paste-edit operation on the desktop. Route-Riter reads the registry (as does Open Rails) to find the default msts folder in which to start. If you need to switch to one of the non-default folders, you use the method I noted for Route-Riter, and for ORTS you need to tell it at the menu screen where the other folders are.

If you're using Windows Vista and up, don't forget to nuke the shortcut that the installer leaves on the desktop. It points to the launcher.exe startup which is unreliable at best for anything above XP, especially if 64-bit. You need the shortcut to point to the actual train.exe file to use the various switches. And NEVER (in Vista and up) install in Program Files or Program Files (x86) as the installer suggests - do a custom install and put it someplace else preferably near the root level of the disk. Even in XP, installing in Program Files was a pain; in the higher versions it's almost impossible to get the permissions right. All the gory installation details are in the spiked instructions here, at trainsim.com, and other places like steam4me.

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