Elvas Tower: Those Darn APK files! - Elvas Tower

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Those Darn APK files! How to install APK to a Mini-Route Rate Topic: -----

#1 User is offline   spud 

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Posted 25 February 2011 - 08:18 AM

I continue to see posts in various forums by people who can not get .APK files to unpack to a Mini-Route installation. This 'tutorial' will lead you through how to unpack .APK files into the PRR-ER route. The same technique can be used for any Mini-Route on your hard drive just the names will be changed to protect the innocent. :oldstry:


If you have tsunpack.exe installed, patched and working with your MSTS installation. Here is how you can unpack activities into any route you have on your hard drive be it a Mini-Route or a route in your regular installation of MSTS.

1.Open Route Riter

2. Click on the tab on the far right side named RailDriver/Registry

3. Click on the Read Current MSTS Registry Path tab in the middle
(it should say: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Train Simulator) If you have a default installation.

Now we are going to change the path to point to the PRR-ER installation as made with the instructions provided by the developers of the route.

4. Click on the tab Change MSTS Registry Path a small box appears titled Change MSTS Registry Path. It should be blank at this time.

5. Move this small box off to the side so that it is not on top of the Route Riter main screen otherwise it will disappear behind the main screen.

6. In the large white box on the left side above all the tabs you will see a directory tree of your hard drive.

7. This is where you will direct the registry to look for train.exe As I said this tutorial is for the default installation

8. Double click on C:\ (scroll down to TrainSimulator-PRR)

9. Double click on Train Simulator-PRR.

If you have not noticed the small box titled Change MSTS Registry Path you moved will now read:
C:\Train Simulator-PRR

10. On the small box click OK. (your registry path will now point to the PRR-ER installation. You have to quit Route Riter and restart it. Click the RailDriver/Registry tab again, then the Read Current MSTS Registry Path tab and the path in the window at the bottom should read:
C:\Train Simulator-PRR

If it does then pat yourself on the back, have a cold one and strut up and down the street 'cause' your smarter than the average bear! :good: If it doesn't then no cold one, no strutting, just start all over again. :rofl2:

When you want to revert back to the default MSTS installation it is simple. On the screen we have been using RailDriver/Registry just click on the Revert to Original Registry Settings tab then click OK. The path in the window at the bottom will read:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Train Simulator. Quit and restart Route Riter one more time to check that it does point to the default install of MSTS. :good:

It really is much easier and quicker than it reads here once you do it.

:yahoo:

EDIT: YEA! I see this is post #100!!!!!

#2 User is offline   Alaskan02 

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Posted 27 May 2012 - 10:13 AM

Hi Spud,
I'm having trouble with the dredded tsunpack program. I've got this packaged activity for the PRR-ER route. When I try to unpack it, a message comes up "This package requires a route called PRR Eastern Region, UID PRR EAST REG. I completed the instructions in your post successfully with Route Riter pointing to the correct installation path, unfortunately the problem is still there. Any ideas?

View Postspud, on 25 February 2011 - 08:18 AM, said:

I continue to see posts in various forums by people who can not get .APK files to unpack to a Mini-Route installation. This 'tutorial' will lead you through how to unpack .APK files into the PRR-ER route. The same technique can be used for any Mini-Route on your hard drive just the names will be changed to protect the innocent. :lol2:


If you have tsunpack.exe installed, patched and working with your MSTS installation. Here is how you can unpack activities into any route you have on your hard drive be it a Mini-Route or a route in your regular installation of MSTS.

1.Open Route Riter

2. Click on the tab on the far right side named RailDriver/Registry

3. Click on the Read Current MSTS Registry Path tab in the middle
(it should say: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Train Simulator) If you have a default installation.

Now we are going to change the path to point to the PRR-ER installation as made with the instructions provided by the developers of the route.

4. Click on the tab Change MSTS Registry Path a small box appears titled Change MSTS Registry Path. It should be blank at this time.

5. Move this small box off to the side so that it is not on top of the Route Riter main screen otherwise it will disappear behind the main screen.

6. In the large white box on the left side above all the tabs you will see a directory tree of your hard drive.

7. This is where you will direct the registry to look for train.exe As I said this tutorial is for the default installation

8. Double click on C:\ (scroll down to TrainSimulator-PRR)

9. Double click on Train Simulator-PRR (scroll down to ROUTES)

10. Double click on ROUTES (PRR EAST REG will show)

11. Click on PRR EAST REG

If you have not noticed the small box titled Change MSTS Registry Path you moved will now read:
C:\Train Simulator-PRR\PRR EAST REG

12. On the small box click OK. (your registry path will now point to the PRR-ER installation. You have to quit Route Riter and restart it. Click the RailDriver/Registry tab again, then the Read Current MSTS Registry Path tab and the path in the window at the bottom should read:
C:\Train Simulator-PRR\PRR EAST REG

If it does then pat yourself on the back, have a cold one and strut up and down the street 'cause' your smarter than the average bear! :good: If it doesn't then no cold one, no strutting, just start all over again. :rtfm:

When you want to revert back to the default MSTS installation it is simple. On the screen we have been using RailDriver/Registry just click on the Revert to Original Registry Settings tab then click OK. The path in the window at the bottom will read:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Train Simulator. Quit and restart Route Riter one more time to check that it does point to the default install of MSTS. :good:

It really is much easier and quicker than it reads here once you do it.

:cheers3:

EDIT: YEA! I see this is post #100!!!!!


#3 User is offline   conductorchris 

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Posted 27 May 2012 - 11:04 AM

I too am having this problem that I have yet to figure out. Changing the registry entry does not fix it.
Christopher

#4 User is offline   spud 

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Posted 28 May 2012 - 03:58 PM

First does TSUnpack work for an activity written for MSTS that is in the default location? Do you have MSTS installed in the default location? Route Riter can read the current path to the MSTS install, see the instructions above.
If you have used Route Riter to change the registry path to the PRR and after quitting Route Riter and RESTARTING Route Riter you click on the Read Current MSTS Registry Path tab in the middle and it reads C:\Train Simulator-PRR\PRR EAST REG (default install)and APK file still will not unpack I want you to look at the error message and it should also say something about the route name and UID xxxxx it is looking for. At the moment I can not find any APK file on my HD to check the exact wording. The APK is looking for a specific route AND a specific TDB for that route.
If that does not match with the TDB you have installed then that is why it is not opening the APK.
I vaguely recall a work around but I'll need to do some research on it before passing on bum info.
:good:

#5 User is offline   spud 

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Posted 28 May 2012 - 04:56 PM

Addendum to the last post:
I noticed in Alaskan02's post he does not have the same name or capitalization sequence for the Route name as my DEFAULT PRR installation (from the CD version). If you use route riter as the instructions say you should have the registry path correct for your installation but if either the folder under the ROUTES folder or the main folder of the mini-routes do not match the wording in the error message it will not unpack. You can temporarily rename the main folder and the folder under the ROUTES folder to match the names in the error message and it should install if your registry was changed correctly. If not then rename the folder to the original name and go to the CLW site and ask the experts for the PRR on the official site for the PRR there.
:good:

#6 User is offline   conductorchris 

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Posted 28 May 2012 - 05:27 PM

Ah ha! So if I had changed the name of the folder containing the route then TSunpack would no longer work? This may be my answer. Thanks. Now to figure out what the routes were originally labeled as . . .

#7 User is offline   Alaskan02 

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Posted 29 May 2012 - 11:09 PM

Hi Spud,
I successfully unpacked an activity for the default Marias Pass in my default MSTS, using the tsunpack included in MSTS, which is in C/Programs (86)/Microsoft Games/Microsoft Train Simulator. My O/S is Windows 7.
What is the name/capitalisation of the CD version, and would it work if I changed the name of my PRR installation to CD version?

#8 User is offline   Alexey_Soljenitchev 

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Posted 30 May 2012 - 12:34 AM

I wonder why activity creators can't do away with the dreaded *.apk format and simply package their acts as *.zip files.

In this case, installation of any activity into any MSTS installation - default or other - would only require two simple steps, which everybody would understand:

1. Unzip the *.zip file
2. Move contents to the desired MSTS installation, confirm overwrites

Done !

#9 User is offline   engmod 

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Posted 30 May 2012 - 01:27 AM

Cause a number of activity writers do not know what files are required in the zip file.

#10 User is offline   spud 

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Posted 30 May 2012 - 04:39 AM

View Postengmod, on 30 May 2012 - 01:27 AM, said:

Cause a number of activity writers do not know what files are required in the zip file.


They do say ignorance is bliss!

Alaskan02,
could you give me the name of the zip file and the source for it and I'll have a look at the problem with my installation and that would or could help solve thing more quickly.
Unpacking APAK's to the default MSTS should never be a problem because that is where TSUnpack expects the route to be. It is mini-routes that stymie the program as it is old and written before mini-routes were used except by guru's so the program itself has no way to change the path but route riter overcomes that weakness.
Post the complete file name of the activity and where to download it and I'll work at it and see if I can help.
I notice that your install is in the WIN7 C\Programs(86) folder which is most likely the source of all your problems. Installing MSTS with WIN 7 to where WIN7 directs it by default will cause nothing but permission issues from now until the cows come home. Steam4me site has a tutorial on installing MSTS with WIN 7 that prevents all the UAC problems.
I do not use WIN 7 myself (XP) so am not well versed in the problems but there are thousands of posts on the sites with problems when it is installed in the X86 folder.
Got to go to the Dr. now but back later in the day.

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