A question about route riter

[sjbaker34]

Sorry if this has been done before, but can compressing files with route riter cause any serious harm, and when you compress files dose it do one route at a time or compress the files in all the routes with everything in train store unstored , sorry if this sounds stupid. cheers Steve.

[sjbaker34]

And another thing, the other day i started to compress some ace and s files but quit have way though the process, would this cause any serious harm? again sorry if this sounds stupid, just looking for peace of mind.

[mendes]

Hi,

I'm sure someone who knows more about this will have something to say, but my golden rule is if you don't fully understand the reason for doing something then don't do it.

I think the Route-Riter is fantastic and completely indispensible but I've no idea what this function is!



Cheers


Martin

[jbilton]

Hi
Depending how the ace files are compressed (DXT1 is poor), it can result in some loss of quality, or loss of transparency.
No one has ever decided whether compressed s files load quicker, as they are smaller so read quicker from the HD, but are required to be uncompressed by MSTS.
I compress all but the smallest s files, and I've still got over 85Gb of MSTS.
Cheers
Jon

[mikesimpson]

Compressing .s/.w or .ace files will not cause any serious harm if you followed the instructions in the Help file on the page 'Route-Riter Instructions for Reducing the size of a route.' Which says 'You should always back up the route & trains folders before using this program!!!'

Route-Riter is a very powerful program, and in the wrong hands, it can really wreck everything.

However, that said, you will find that virtually all .s files are compressed in any case, so you will not gain much by compressing those which are now. Compressing .w files will save you a bit of space and will make no difference to the routes operation, and virtually all .ace files are quite OK when compressed to .dxt1 format, although some claim there can be a reduction in quality, but this is doubtful as DXT1 is the direct-x native format.

To answer your other question, the Compress buttons on the Route Utils tab (the main front screen of RR) compress all the files in the selected route (the one showing on the front screen and in the screens title bar). Whereas the buttons on the MSTS File Utils tab compress 'selected' files only, i.e. the ones you have highlighted.

On the Graphics tab are buttons which operate on selected files to compress .ace files using ZLIB, a type of zip compression or to convert them to DXT1 format. it is up to the user to work out what they wish to do.

[sjbaker34]

Hi, thanks for all the info guys.

[mendes]

Thanks for that Mike,
I shall continue in the assumption that all of the files are already compressed as I have no reason to think any different. I also appreciate the gentle and friendly way you advised us to "Read the Manual", probably the best advice that ever could be given.



Cheers


Martin

[ashgray]

Hi Martii=n

Just to let you know that following a report to the moderation team by another member, I've edited your post to remove an offending word - remember, masked swearing is still swearing.

Ash

[mendes]

Hi Ashley,

Sorry, I didn't realise this, probably because I hadn't read the ....
Oh no!!! here we go again.



Cheers



Martin

[alanch]

So what's so offensive about Flipping anyway?

[mendes]

So what's so offensive about Flipping anyway?

Hi Alan,

Two things, First it has 8 letters not 7 which makes it extremely offensive and secondly it could have any imagineable sorts of sordid connotations as it is coupled in the dictionary with the word "Toss".
Was that smiley spelt with an "i" ?


Cheers


Martin

[alanch]

And I suppose 'Toss' leads on to 'Pitch', and before long we are into 'Poker' - with onomatopoeia who knows where this might lead.

I thought my smiley was missing an 'i', not spelt with one.

[mendes]

Hi Alan,
I think we should drop this before the moderators become even more grumpy than me.
Having said that, I can't resist mentioning an incident I witnessed years ago in one of the Capel Curig pubs.
The manager was serving an odious sycophantic toff who made the comment to him "You're such a brick".
The (scouse) barman immediately made the remark "Is that spelt with a 'b'? ".

The comic content of the situation was much more apparent to the Welsh speaking locals as the Welsh language has something called mutation so the Welsh word for Bridge is Pont as in PontDolGoch but becomes Bont as in Tal-Y-Bont when preceded by the Welsh word for "the".

The Scouse barman wasn't sacked as the manager had to retire from the bar in fits of laughter.



Cheers


Martin

[alanch]

Ah - Capel Curig pubs. I remember them well after long days climbing on Tryfan and the Carneddi.

[mendes]

Alan,
Is that rock-climbing or walking/scrambling? Should be Carneddau rather than Carneddi as far as I know.

I think the pub was the Ty'n Y Coed (the one with the coach outside and the wood-panelled bar).

What on earth has this got to do with Route-Riter???


Cheers


Martin