How to uploade activity

RobertM · Post by **RobertM** » Tue Sep 21, 2004 10:05 pm

This is mainly to those who have uploaded activities onto websites for downloade.

I have just made an activity for the Severn Valley that I have just tested and I am hoping to uploade it onyo UKTrainSim but i'm not sure how I'm supposed to package the activity up so that when someone downloads it, it is easy to instal.

How do you package the activity!

spikeyorks · Post by **spikeyorks** » Tue Sep 21, 2004 10:58 pm

Hello Robert.

Now you have discovered Activity Making be prepared to kiss goodbye to the rest of your life !!!

Once you are certain that your Activity is running correctly then you should first "Compute and Save" in Activity Editor and then secondly "Package Activity" again in Activity Editor. The second function "Package Activity" creates an APK file in the appropriate Routes / Activities section of your Train Simulator folder. This is the main file that you will want to Upload.

After creating your APK file you then also need a "Readme" (text file explaining a bit about the activity and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, what stock is needed). Finally you will need to create a Screenshot (JPEG) image of an interesting part of the Activity.

Put the APK file and the "Readme" file into a Zip file and Upload that as the Activity file. Keep the JPEG separate and Upload that as the Picture.

Clicking on the "Upload File" icon on the UKTS Homepage will take you to the Upload screen where you will have to complete a number of boxes. Most are straightforward ie "File" & "JPG Picture" but you will also need to title your activity, give a description, version number it (ie 1.0), state that it's for MSTS and code it as an "Activity - XXXXX route" in the Class & Type box. Pick an Operating Company (usually that of the player train) and away you go.

Once you have clicked on "Upload Now" you can then look at the result in "View my Uploads" on the front page.

Hope this helps.

Lad491 · Post by **Lad491** » Wed Sep 22, 2004 6:45 am

Or alternatively, you can download RouteRiter from here and use the "package activity" facility to create a zip file with everything thats needed. You can add to the zip your readme, etc and then upload it the same way as David says. Others downloading it just have to extract the zip to their MSTS folder and everything gets put in the right places.

Post by **NeutronIC** » Wed Sep 22, 2004 10:22 am

Once you are certain that your Activity is running correctly then you should first "Compute and Save" in Activity Editor

Please re-test if you are going to use compute-and-save as this CAN cause the activity to run differently believe it or not!

compute-and-save pre-calculates all of the AI traffic happenings prior to the player start, which makes the activity start quicker where you have plenty of AI traffic that begins its journey prior to the player starting.

All it does is create a save point in the activity which the simulator spots and then automatically loads when you select the activity

It is not (afaik) necessary if you have no AI traffic that starts before the player service.

But be aware it CAN cause problems in rare cases so just keep that in the back of your mind

Matt.

Lad491 · Post by **Lad491** » Wed Sep 22, 2004 11:56 am

Good point Matt. In fact if you use compute and save in a freight activity you get lots of freight durability errors in the evaluation for some reason, which you dont if you just do save.

Previously i was a compute and save man, but now i only use it during testing and when im ready to package my final version i just use save as.

jimmyladd · Post by **jimmyladd** » Wed Sep 22, 2004 2:03 pm

spikeyorks wrote: Once you are certain that your Activity is running correctly then you should first "Compute and Save" in Activity Editor

I NEVER use compute and save, as it has screwed up several activites I did, ruining hours of hard work. BE WARNED!!!

RobertM · Post by **RobertM** » Wed Sep 22, 2004 4:11 pm

Once you have downloaded an Activity how do you install it? I need to know so I can put it into the Read-Me wordpad. plus it would be nice to know myself so I could download some activities myself

asalmon · Post by **asalmon** » Wed Sep 22, 2004 4:51 pm

jimmyladd wrote: I NEVER use compute and save, as it has screwed up several activites I did, ruining hours of hard work. BE WARNED!!!

Interesting - I don't see how - because all it does is create an ASV file extra to the ACT, which if it causes problems can just be deleted again. Or open and save without compute and the file goes.

bigtoe · Post by **bigtoe** » Wed Sep 22, 2004 5:13 pm

RobertM wrote:Once you have downloaded an Activity how do you install it? I need to know so I can put it into the Read-Me wordpad. plus it would be nice to know myself so I could download some activities myself

move the file to the UTLS file in your MSTS directory then double click on it

jimmyladd · Post by **jimmyladd** » Wed Sep 22, 2004 5:20 pm

asalmon wrote:
jimmyladd wrote: I NEVER use compute and save, as it has screwed up several activites I did, ruining hours of hard work. BE WARNED!!!
Interesting - I don't see how - because all it does is create an ASV file extra to the ACT, which if it causes problems can just be deleted again. Or open and save without compute and the file goes.

Arrrh, but I didn't know that!

asalmon · Post by **asalmon** » Wed Sep 22, 2004 5:26 pm

bigtoe wrote:
RobertM wrote:Once you have downloaded an Activity how do you install it? I need to know so I can put it into the Read-Me wordpad. plus it would be nice to know myself so I could download some activities myself
move the file to the UTLS file in your MSTS directory then double click on it

Nah - there is no need to move the APK file if you can double click it. You either move it because you have to drag it over TSUNPACK.EXE because you haven't installed the fix

Fix for the activity unpacker [3776 bytes] - tsunpack.zip
File ID: 409 Date: 31 Dec 2001 - 8359 Downloads

or if you have installed the fix simply double click it from anywhere, even inside a zip.

jimmyladd · Post by **jimmyladd** » Wed Sep 22, 2004 5:27 pm

RobertM wrote:Once you have downloaded an Activity how do you install it? I need to know so I can put it into the Read-Me wordpad. plus it would be nice to know myself so I could download some activities myself

Download TSunpack.zip ID 409, run it, so it fixes a bug, and then when you download an activity, unzip it and then just double click on the .apk file and it will auto install.

ash888 · Post by **ash888** » Thu Sep 23, 2004 12:45 am

I don't even bother using the "compute & save" function because everytime i even attempt to use the damn thing i always get sent home to the desktop with a flee in my ear because all i get with that thing is the super stupid "send/don't send" message

. The best thing to do is just save the activity normally

. It works everytime for me and saves a ton of extra hard work if the sim decides to play silly buggers

.

cheers

RobertM · Post by **RobertM** » Thu Nov 04, 2004 7:07 pm

I can't install any activities as when i double click on them in the UTILS folder it comes up with this weired code, and I have also downloaded that fix mentioned above.

Any ideas about what is wrong?

spikeyorks · Post by **spikeyorks** » Thu Nov 04, 2004 7:42 pm

Literally just drag & drop the Activity icon onto the "tsunpack" icon in UTILS and everything within the activity file will be put in the correct place.