Why have blueprints

[dumpadillo]

I am becoming more and more frustrated with having to clear Caches (BlueprintsI I presume they are the same thing.Can anyone explain why we need them and why do they come back after they have been cleared.I can be clearing anything from a few to over 70 at any one time!!!
If this has already been explained somewhere on the forum please forgive me and point me in the right direction.
Many thanks
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[jivebunny]

I can be clearing anything from a few to over 70 at any one time!!!

There is a "Clear Cache" button in the sim's main menu, there's no need to clear them manually.

Blueprints are what makes the entire game work. They contain route, rolling stock, and scenario information, among other things, and they're stored in the cache so that the sim can load them more quickly i.e without having to search for them and read them. If a blueprint that's stored in the cache is updated "outside" of the game, either through RW_Tools, the BP Editor or when Steam downloads an update to the game, then you need to clear them manually to force the game to find the blueprint again and therefore ensure it loads the blueprint containing the latest information.

JB

[lemberg]

The problem is that since the update the clear cache does not always clear them all. ( if that makes sense)

Keith

[AndiS]

I suggest to explain what you wanted to achieve and which problems you hit.

As Jimmy says, there is a button in the game that does it the ways the creators of the software intended it. You can always go and delete individual Blueprints.pak files but this will not get you anywhere unless you know exactly what the problem is and what caused it. (Ok, if Keith says not that this button does not work as expected since the last update, this sounds like tough luck indeed. I cannot tell myself as I rarely update.)

Blueprints themselves are the key data describing any object, i.e., each scenery object has a scenery object blueprint file which contains its name and a few other things; and each engine has a group of files describing anything from the brake power to the traction type. So you cannot get rid of them.

What you can get rid of is the index file that is named Blueprints.pak. It permits faster loading of the game, but it can get out of sync if you modify files with 3rd party tools.

[firstborn]

I'm not sure why many people seem to have an obsession with clearing the cache...

- I've never found it to make any difference to the stability of the game (as some people seem to imply) - and the only time i've ever found it to be necessary after installing new content, is if it's a reskin i've downloaded from UKTS (AP Powerhouse reskins in the 'extra stock packs' clear the cache automatically)...

But... the difference it make to the games load time is enormous - from a clean cache, the core game takes about 20 times longer to boot to the main menu (for me anyway), and a route that is not cache'd seems to take about 5 times longer to load a scenario than when it's cache'd

[smarty2]

Strange, my experience is the opposite, a scenario takes an age to load if it is cached and loads in seconds after clearing.

[dumpadillo]

Thanks for all your replies

Cheers

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