non-steam add-on backups and steam updates

[MisterWho]

I bought RW2 and several add-ons from Steam last month, plus some non-Steam add-ons this month. I haven't had a chance to install RW2 yet as I haven't quite finished building my new PC - it's dual-boot with WinXPHome SP3 and Win7Pro. I plan to install Steam / RW2 on either drive D or drive E, depending on which o/s I use to run RW2.

I've seen several references here and elsewhere to the fact that non-Steam add-ons will be effectively uninstalled (screwed up would be the less polite term) when Steam applies an update to RW2. To my mind, it seems that making these add-ons available in RW2 again might be as simple as re-enabling the add-ons through the package manager / asset list / whatever, or as complex as doing a complete re-install from my JT Voyager DVD. So my question is what's the simplest way of "re-installing" those add-ons after the update has finished and I'm back to running RW2 in offline mode ?

A second, somewhat related, question. When I do install Steam and RW2 for the first time, can I choose whether any of the Steam add-ons are installed or not at the same time, or do I simply get everything in one big-bang first install ?

Thanks in advance for any guidance,
moi

[alanch]

I've seen several references here and elsewhere to the fact that non-Steam add-ons will be effectively uninstalled when Steam applies an update to RW2.

This is simply untrue - all my non-Steam add-ons were still there after the RW2 update. Perhaps you have misread the references - are they referring to the 'Drive by Train' menu?

A second, somewhat related, question. When I do install Steam and RW2 for the first time, can I choose whether any of the Steam add-ons are installed or not at the same time, or do I simply get everything in one big-bang first install ?

You get everything that you have acquired from Steam - you can't select which ones you want.

[MisterWho]

No, I didn't misread the references. There was a clear indication that any add-ons which were installed by the user rather than being delivered through Steam would be "corrupted" in some way, requiring some sort of manual intervention after the update had been installed before they were available to the user again. I was trying to ask the simple question of how I might need to be prepared for when that happens. If I had known that this was such a troublesome subject, I would have either kept a reference to the sources where I found this information or not bothered to ask the question at all.

Thank you for clarifying the situation on the initial install,
moi

[msmith4000]

As far as I am aware misterwho, only addons that change the default Railworks files will have to be re-installed after a steam update (or verify cache). Add-ons is not therefore a good word to describe what would be effected: modifications (mods) would better describe what would need re-installed.

The main examples I can think of is the Armstrong Powerhouse sound packs. This is becuase the Sound Packs change the default rolling stock files which get overwritten again with the orginal files when you do a "Verify Cache" in the Steam Client. Other examples I can think of is community mods downloaded from UKTS for instance, the HST notched brake mod and the recent Class 86 mod that fixes the spool down effects on that loco.

Stuff like routes and rolling stock downloaded direct from 3rd part developers such as Oovee, IronHorseHouse etc will not be effected.

Of course if you manually edit / modify any of the default rolling stock files yourself, such as bin files, these would also have to re-applied.

[MisterWho]

msmith4000,
thanks for clarifying that. I can certainly see why that's the situation when you put it like that.

To me, an AP sound pack is an add-on, speaking as a newcomer, but if mod is the preferred term then so be it. Regardless, I did indeed download a few AP sound packs, so my original question (terminology apart) still stands. After I've done my initial install and added my sound mods, at some point there will be an update from Steam. Presumably, I would then have to reapply the sound mods using package manager and the .rwp files I downloaded from AP, because from the way you described it I can't see any alternative. Is that correct ?

Thanks for your input here, and especially the warning about the effect of using "verify cache",
moi

[SHEEP]

I have the DT mk1's that i bought, direct from DT for Rail Simulator, installed in Railworks with a patch to fix a problem with the couplings,
And every time we get an update to Railworks or i verify my files, It removes the DT patch.
Steam, Please leve my mk1's alone

[MisterWho]

So, there IS a problem with add-ons that are available either through Steam or other sources ?

Sheep, when you reapply the patch, I assume that it's just the same method as when you first installed it. Is there any benefit to keeping a copy of the patched files and just overwriting the "updated" ones that Steam replaced, or is that just as much / little work as reapplying the patch ?

Thanks for your input,
moi

[SHEEP]

So, there IS a problem with add-ons that are available either through Steam or other sources ?

Sheep, when you reapply the patch, I assume that it's just the same method as when you first installed it. Is there any benefit to keeping a copy of the patched files and just overwriting the "updated" ones that Steam replaced, or is that just as much / little work as reapplying the patch ?

Thanks for your input,
moi

Yes, I just re-instal the patch as per the readme,
I only have a few non-Steam addons, The I.O.W + class 66 on CD and IHH's 9F, They work fine AFAIK,
although I'm pretty sure there was a free roam on the S&D for the 9F that's not there now