Connected Zip Files and Big Routes

petermakosch · Post by **petermakosch** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 4:43 pm

Hello All.
I dont know if this could happen, but it it possible that someone could extract a big route (with lots of zip files), such as Scottish Central, and then put it all into one zip file? This would be better for BB users, but the old files would ideally still be there for 56K users to download.

Also, I think the whole thing with the Zip files being connected it quite complicated. I was just reading about the triuble with SC and it has put me off. There was another route that I didnt bother to use as it just wouldnt extract properly, because all the Zip files were connected. It was too much trouble in the beginning.

Just some pointers, that would make things easier, IMHO.
Pete

thenudehamster · Post by **thenudehamster** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 4:48 pm

I have to admit, I'd like that arrangement, Peter, but I think it causes Matt some problems with bandwidth usage. It might work for premium Users, but then it negates Matt's preference for it making no difference except availability between Premium and non-Premium members.

I've had no trouble with Southwold or Thaxted, the two spanned zip routes I have installed, but a single download would make life easier. Some of the Australian Routes are like that and it seems to work.

1crick14a · Post by **1crick14a** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 5:01 pm

Pete

Yer just go to keep on trying matey 1st I had trouble with SC.zip
got that running here we go here we go fire up it goes tits up again on to
forum answer No26 data file thingy missing go get it then get everything
else all here then fire up and now here's me running an A2/3 from
Waverly to Dundee heaven

Rick

petermakosch · Post by **petermakosch** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 8:36 pm

Hmm, but then surely it might encourage people to become premium?
Again, it could also discourage people from using the site.

I will keep trying, I want to drive it! hehehe, the fourth bridge, mmmm! I dont even live near there, but still, mmm! hehehe

salopiangrowler · Post by **salopiangrowler** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 10:46 pm

well im gonna give it a go when i get down to worcester to play with MSTS on my mums computer hehe she loves me. She will love me even more when i get have of scotland on the computer bless her.

Post by **NeutronIC** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 10:49 pm

It's a beautiful route and well worth the effort.

I will offer this advice:

Read the readme carefully on any route you download.
Learn how to work with both the files downloaded on the site and zip itself, the procedures are NOT different between routes, it's the same stuff over and over.

1. Make sure they end in .ZIP once only, not .ZIP.ZIP or .Z01.ZIP etc.
2. Some ZIP's will be part of the "outer package" some will be part of the "inner package" - Scottish Central and indeed one or two others are mixed in that the first file you download is actually part of the inner package, the rest of the files are all contained within other zip's (which are hence the outer package) and must be unzipped first.

When you have all files at the inner package level, rename them so they all share the same filename before the dot (doesn't matter what you call it as long as they are all the same).

Double click on the .ZIP (since there should only be one by this point, along with a lot of .z01, .z02 etc).

In the case of Scottish Central:

Handle the Outer Package:
Unzip SC1, SC2, SC3 etc and extract the one file out of each so you have Z01, Z02, Z03 etc.
Rename the first part to just SC.ZIP so it matches up with the rest (SC.ZIP, SC.Z01, SC.Z02 etc)

This creates the inner package.

Inner package:
Double click on SC.ZIP, Press SHIFT-T to test the archive (verifies it's all there and working) and then extract.

Some routes have the first file inside an outer package zip as well in which case you need to unzip that file as well. That's my preferred mechanism as it means the procedue is the same for every file, far less confusing.

Some routes have just uploaded the inner package, you might need to rename .Z01.ZIP to .Z01 (hint: If it says "fred.z01" and the description in explorer is "Winzip file" or "compressed folder" then you have got extensions hidden and the filename is actually fred.z01.zip - windows does NOT recognise Z01, Z02 etc and just shows them as "Z01 file" etc).

ALWAYS rename to make the inner package files have the same name before the dot.

Hope this generalised guide helps

Matt.

salopiangrowler · Post by **salopiangrowler** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 10:56 pm

i never thought it was that hard, whens the CD out.

Post by **NeutronIC** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 10:58 pm

For SC? No release date on it yet, activities are being busily worked on though and Kerr is doing a few minor tweaks to the route as things progress and in response to activity-writer requests so I don't think it will be more than 4 weeks.

Matt.

mikesimpson · Post by **mikesimpson** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 12:49 am

Ever since I added the Spanned-zip option to Route-Riter, the same questions have popped up. The concept is fine, but:-

a. Some users never read the instructions

b. Some authors have not packaged the routes very well

c. UKTS changes the names of the uploaded files which can cause a problem

d. My original instructions were not as clear as they should have been.

For future use, the routes should be packaged using RR as follows:-

1. Package the route using RR, will assume a 5 part route named MyRoute. The resultant output will be:-

MyRoute.z01
MyRoute.z02
MyRoute.z03
MyRoute.z04
MyRoute.zip

2. ALL 5 files should now be zipped up using WinZip etc as:_
MyRoute1.zip - Contains MyRoute.zip plus a readme
MyRoute2.zip - Contains MyRoute.z01
MyRoute3.zip - Contains MyRoute.z02
MyRoute4.zip - Contains MyRoute.z03
MyRoute5.zip - Contains MyRoute.z04

3. A readme should be placed in MyRoute1.zip advising the user to unzip all 5 files into c:\temp or other temporary folder, and then to go to c:\temp and unzip MyRoute.zip to their MSTS Routes folder.

Using this method there should never be any queries at all, no file renaming etc. We used this method to post the NZ Southrail route on UKTS and I do not think there was a single query regarding it.

In the above, MyRoute.zip is actually just an index telling WinZip which file contains the various files to be extracted. These spanned zip files can only be extracted using WinZip v8.1 or later, WinRaR v6.10 or later and Route-Riter v5 or later. The zip extraction built into Windows XP does not support spanned-zips.

Backfoot2002 · Post by **Backfoot2002** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 1:02 am

I think its the best way, but only work if you read the instructions. But people be aware that when I and/or other say read the instruction, dont just read it once, read a fw time if you dont understand, thats how I learnt.

Also it took me about an hour and a half to install Thames Mersey, becuase I had to copy each folder manually and copy. Then after that I loads of shapes/textures missing in places, so I had to run the game, find an error then doa search for the texture file. i think the reason why my computer misses some files out at times.

With Scottish central it was a simple 5 minuite installation, got the zip's followed the instructions and installed. The only thing was the first readme didnt mention about UKTS changing the .zip name, just at my luck Cobos re upload it and updated it, read the new one and I was on my way. The only missing files were the new road textures, but just looking on UKTS helped me find what was missing.

In all I found the spanned zips 10x better, its the next best thing to an installer I think.

thenudehamster · Post by **thenudehamster** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 1:33 am

As I said in another thread, I must be doing something wrong - I've just installed SC without a hitch. After Southwold and Thaxted I'm getting quite good at reading instructions....

jbilton · Post by **jbilton** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 7:43 am

mikesimpson wrote:
Using this method there should never be any queries at all, no file renaming etc. We used this method to post the NZ Southrail route on UKTS and I do not think there was a single query regarding it.

Hi
I didn't think Southrail had ever been uploaded to this site??.......but always thought it should have been as its a fantastic route

mikesimpson · Post by **mikesimpson** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 10:17 pm

jbilton wrote:
mikesimpson wrote:
Using this method there should never be any queries at all, no file renaming etc. We used this method to post the NZ Southrail route on UKTS and I do not think there was a single query regarding it.

Hi
I didn't think Southrail had ever been uploaded to this site??.......but always thought it should have been as its a fantastic route

Sorry, I uploaded Southrail for Neville to train-sim.com rather than here (my memory is failing). We did upload the NZ timber route here.

Reason was that downloads here for non-UK routes were less than 10pct of those on U.S. or Australian sites.

AdamsRadial · Post by **AdamsRadial** » Tue Aug 24, 2004 11:52 am

Mike Simpson wrote

Sorry, I uploaded Southrail for Neville to train-sim.com rather than here (my memory is failing). We did upload the NZ timber route here.

Reason was that downloads here for non-UK routes were less than 10pct of those on U.S. or Australian sites.

That is a real shame, Mike. I've begun to discover the joy of going round the world, seeing new vegetation, buildings and landscapes, it's almost as good as a holiday. I've just finished chugging along Austral Bay and am going to be running around the Italian Umbra line as soon as I have got Xtracks installed.

I appreciate that server space and bandwidth management is Atomic's main priority, but it would be nice to have some "guest" routes once in a while. Perhaps they could be uploaded, mastered onto CD, and then put online in response to a special request? (Big hint to Neutron et al

ianmacmillan · Post by **ianmacmillan** » Tue Aug 24, 2004 11:57 am

Write a voyager activity for the route.

Then they'll download it.