Atomic Systems

Gents,

I enclose a proposed draft Total Quality standard for the preparation and distribution of activities, for comments.


Preamble

Activities that have been prepared to meet this standard should display in the Readme file:

This activity has been prepared to meet the Total Quality standard for Activities displayed on the Activity Forum of http://www.uktrainsim.com (and if applicable), and has been tested by at least one other person who believes it meets the standard.

Objectives of the standard

The objectives of the standard are to ensure that the user:
1. Has an idea of the activity before loading it, and the material required
2. Can easily locate the material required
3. Does not overwrite the users existing consists, paths and traffic patterns
4. Can be easily deleted from the users system.


Read Me file.

The read me file should be in .txt or PDF format. Where it is in PDF format all links should be clickable [Word should not be used because of macro viruses. Freeware PDF makers are available eg PDF995].

Name and E-mail address of activity maker.
· Activity name
· Activity file name (See file/path name convention below)
· Version of activity and date
· Route Name and Version

Description:

The description should enable a user to determine if he wants to load it and should consist of at least

· Description of activity
· Time Length of Activity
· Number of AI trains
· Whether loose consists used

Special Instructions to running of activity

For example
· This activity requires a computer with at least a Pentium 1.5Ghz processor or more
· This activity requires a version of MSTS upgraded to at least Version 1.2 for the front couplers to work
· If you change the player consist ensure it is the same length for the reversing points to work.

Material required.

A table indicating the material required, with at least:

Internet site where material located
· Reference number (For UKTrainsim.com), or page number where sites do not have search facilities.
· Zip file name
· File directory used in MSTS
· Where activity used (if it is an pack of activities)

It is recommend that where the writer used the material in a number of this is indicated. Eg the following material was required for my previous activity XXXX.

The Route-Riter listing should also be included as a separate file.

Loading Instructions

The activity should be included in a zip file with the read –me, a packed (.apk) and Zip version (Zipped by Route-Riter), the Route-Riter listing and the .jpg picture.

Installation instructions should be included in the Read me for both for the .apk and zip version.

Uninstall instructions.

Instruction for uninstalling the activity, paths, and traffic patterns and consists used should be included.


Naming convention
In order to ensure the above is achieved the following traffic, pattern and file naming convention should be used.

All consists; paths and traffic patterns should be renamed renamed, even if there are standard.

All consist names; activity names, path names and traffic names should begin with a three-letter/number code for the activity writer eg ABC_



All Paths names should have a numeric ABC_XXXX_ where ABC is the name of the author and XXXX is a specific code denoting the route and the activity.


Timetable

All player timetable should be physically checked, and timed to the nearest minute.

All reversing points should be set using a template.

It is advised that all work orders include only one car per set of cars being picked up, to assist in usability (eg in a set of three cars, the work order activity is for one of the cars).

I agree totally with the sentiment here, but I don't think I'll be writing any more activities.

With the amount of work it took to make them, as well as writing what I thought was a pretty comprehensive readme, I couldn't run to all that as well. Especially as I didn't have any feedback at all (apart from beta testers) so I'm not sure whether they were any good or not.

Good luck with the Codes... I think just trying to ensure that a comprehensive readme is enclosed is enough. If you're not happy with the way a person's made an activity, a short and polite email wouldn't go amiss.

While I have not uploaded any activites here because I do US\Canadian activites and this is not the place for them, if these standards are put into effect, I will not upload at all. It will take longer to do the things required for this than to so the activity.

I had the unfortunate experiance of having to deal with TQM for 6 years at a previous employer and found it to be the biggest load of garbage.

Now to my responses:
Objectives of the standard

The objectives of the standard are to ensure that the user:

***
3. Does not overwrite the users existing consists, paths and traffic patterns
How is this to happen if we try to use existing consists to limit the number of new consists added?

***
Description:

***

· Number of AI trains
· Whether loose consists used
And the point of this is what? Number of AI trains, why is that required? Loose consists, again why? If it is a shunting activity, loose consists are required.

***

Special Instructions to running of activity

For example
· This activity requires a computer with at least a Pentium 1.5Ghz processor or more
Why? If the end user has a computer that is not capable of running the route, why would he dl an activity for a route that he cannot run?
· This activity requires a version of MSTS upgraded to at least Version 1.2 for the front couplers to work
This should be standard period. If an end user has not upgraded to the newest version he needs his head checked out to see if anything is in there.
· If you change the player consist ensure it is the same length for the reversing points to work.
This is another duh point. This has been brought up on many posts that if you change the consist, if you do not keep the consists perameters, i.e. weight, lenght, hp, TE, etc; it will not work as the designer intended.

Material required.

***
· Where activity used (if it is an pack of activities)
I generally do my activities in packs and use the consists in all the activities. I creat a group of consists that I use in all the activites, either as the player or AI.

***

The Route-Riter listing should also be included as a separate file.
Why, isn't this covered in your other topics, extra time for no gain.

Loading Instructions

The activity should be included in a zip file with the read –me, a packed (.apk) and Zip version (Zipped by Route-Riter), the Route-Riter listing and the .jpg picture.
Why use route riter for the listing and zipping? Also, some routes do not pack correctly and the individual file must be included. Why would two versions of the same activity be included? If a person is having probelms with the unpacker, he needs to fix the problem.

Installation instructions should be included in the Read me for both for the .apk and zip version.
Why two installation instructions?


Uninstall instructions.

Instruction for uninstalling the activity, paths, and traffic patterns and consists used should be included.
Again why? All you do is need to delete the activity and then use Conbuilder, Route Control, or RR to highlight the uneeded files so that you can remove them.


Naming convention

***

All consist names; activity names, path names and traffic names should begin with a three-letter/number code for the activity writer eg ABC_
Why would I do this for an activity pack? This would require that if I used 10 AI trains in a 10 activity pack I would have to a seperate AI consist for the same train for each activity - an extra 90 consists.

All Paths names should have a numeric ABC_XXXX_ where ABC is the name of the author and XXXX is a specific code denoting the route and the activity.
Same as above.


Timetable

***

All reversing points should be set using a template.
Again why? every consist is different and a set template will not work. This should be done by the designer testing the activity and the beta testing feedback. It is unique for each route and activity.

It is advised that all work orders include only one car per set of cars being picked up, to assist in usability (eg in a set of three cars, the work order activity is for one of the cars).
When someone comes up with something that can extract the work order from the activity file this is workable. Untill then this can really only be handled with pop-ups.

I agree in that it will take Activity Creators AGES to follow all that criteria. However, here's an example of my uploaded activities. It gives the member a) a general(or sometimes more detailed) idea of the duty of your activity. b) the approx duration of the activity. c) all the stock required together with their File ID's on the download info page(this I think is very important) and d) some extra notes.

http://www.uktrainsim.com/filelib-info. ... c731584764

Simply adding the stock required to the download info page barely takes a few extra seconds. All the creator has to do is to copy and paste from their readme file!

Good example for others to follow?[/url]

Thanks for your comments.

The thing that surprises me is why you think it would significant extra time.

Once you have set the basic format of the read me up, all the extra work is listing the stock, which you should do anyway.

You also seem to think that there is greater expertise in the people using the activity, than I have found in my expereince, eg ability to use conbuilder, having V1.2 etc.

After reading these posts I am confused where I am. Am I back at work dealing with Quality Management or am I taking relexation in a hobby?

Please ............. I am confused ............... where am I? ........... Someone please help ..............

In sunny Jamaica

I agree with Fodda on this one, it can take hours to set up an activity and then have to scrap it because you cant get a path to work right. Once you get it to work you packet it then have to do a readme file and stock list it all takes time and then usually no feedback,unless it goes wrong.

Don

You got that right Don. One way of knowing if ppl like your activity is to check the number of complaints against the number of downloads. Another is by ppl asking you to beta their route and oh, BTW, would you mind doing a few activities for it. A third is posts where you get asked if you are going to do activiites for a route.

RIght here is the reason only a handful of the activities I've written get uploaded. I write 'em to make TSing more interesting for me. I set it up, I play it, I tweak it, I play some more and I'm done.

Then I think, so many people have worked so hard on MSTS stuff tha tI enjoy, the least I can do is put my own stuff out there. So I spent at least as much time (usually more) as I did writing it in prepping it for uploading - testing, checking file names and looking up file IDs, substituting easy to use stock, taking and editing screenshots, etc. I'm not complaining - I do it out of enjoyment - but it is a lot of work. If I think the activity will be more of a frustration for users, I don't bother.

That said, I don't get upset with a person or complain if their activity doesn't work right. At least they put in the time, and I appreciate that. Not everyone is a computer or MSTS expert. s--t happens. Oh well - thank you for at least trying.

I have to say that I don't have huge expectations from an activity, the kinds of things I expect to see are:

Readme
A list of the required stock and where to get it from. Identify the stock accurately so that I can make sure get it down, so perhaps a filename or in the UKTS case the File ID, all easily obtainable. At a bare minimum, run Activity Analysis, Route-Riter or something else over it and product a list, it's a starting point if nothing else

Author name and contact email address.

File Description on the Site
Which route, what kind (freight, passenger), a rough idea of the stock required (i.e. this activity uses 23 extra items of stock, or, this item uses all MidEast UK stock, so that you know quickly if this activity requires any significant extra effort to make it work - you can get the precise list from the readme, after all it's not like activities take a long time to download!).

A screenshot of the activity in action for the thumbnail.

If the uploader wants to get really flashy and the used stock items are on here then I am ecstatic when I see people using the related files capability as this really does make life easy - however I can understand that this might be time consuming and will try to make it automated in UKTS 2, depending on how MSTS 2 structures such things.

Matt

I posted a similar thought a while back and although I've been through TQM, Zero Defects, ISO9000, Re-engineering and more (it is a load of garbage) I was looking for some basic consistancy in the readme which could be solved by a simple template that the activity author fills in.

A list of stock is necessary with locations but without the default stock included with comments about whether the stock has been used in other of the authors activities. You could just note that it is safe to overwrite existing consists and services etc., so the user knows they're not buggering up anything.

The authors name and email is basic and there are a lot of activities on UKTRAINSIM that have the author in the info screen but not in the readme. Trouble is that when I'm installing the activity I'm not connected to the internet and can't get it easily.

My biggest TQM bug is the 400k jpg of the activity when a 40k one would do. Just open the jpg in your image editor click save as and the more options button to move the compression slider down to 10%.

Bob