West Highland Line running on TS2014

[JustRight]

Hi All,

Although the WHL looks fantastic on TS2015, I have had so many other graphical issues in other routes that I have been maintaining a valid copy of TS2014 and quite regularly using that instead. So as an exercise I thought I would have a go at getting the West Highland Line installed and running on my separate copy of TS2014.

This has been reasonably successful. The main issue is removing ALL references to the new SilverLining weather system. After that the route and scenarios seem to run correctly, including the scripting of the new RETB Token system.


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If you would like to have a go at this you will need a separate executable copy of TS2014. I use only a single instance of Steam and if I want to run TS2014 I put Steam into 'OffLine' mode, and then run the railworks.exe program from within the TS2014 directory.

The following instructions assume some knowledge of RW_Tools and 7-Zip etc.

• 1 ) From TS2015 copy the folder "RailWorks\Content\Routes\fdb37c6f-e125-4b1e-a68c-157a378ca70d" to the TS2014 "RailWorks\Content\Routes" folder.
  
  2 ) In the TS2014 copy of "RailWorks\Content\Routes\fdb37c6f-e125-4b1e-a68c-157a378ca70d" open the file "MainContent.ap" and drag the file "RouteProperties.xml" into the TS2014 folder "RailWorks\Content\Routes\fdb37c6f-e125-4b1e-a68c-157a378ca70d". This will allow RW_tools to 'see' the route.
  
  3 ) From TS2015 copy the folder "RailWorks\Assets\Thomson\FortWilliamMallaig" to the TS2014 "RailWorks\Assets\Thomson" folder.
  
  4 ) Open the TS2014 file "\RailWorks\Assets\Thomson\FortWilliamMallaig\FortWilliamMallaigAssets.ap" and drag the folder "Weather" into the TS2014 folder "RailWorks\Assets\Thomson\FortWilliamMallaig".
  
  5 ) Using RW_Tools Clone all of the Career Scenarios, renaming them as you go. I added a suffix of (STD) on the end of the name.
  
  6 ) Using RW_Tools delete all of the Career Scenarios.
  
  7 ) Using RW_Tools edit each of the Standard and Tutorial scenarios. Use the "Set Weather" button and change the weather blueprint to one of the standard blueprints in "Kuju\RailSimulatorCore\Weather". These are the blueprints that start with 'RW_' eg: 'RW_Cloudy'. For most of the scenarios there are 'RW_' weather blueprints that are close to the original ones supplied by Thomson. Save the scenario, accepting any prompts about changing a Career scenario to a Standard scenario.
  
  8 ) Open the file "\RailWorks\Assets\Thomson\FortWilliamMallaig\FortWilliamMallaigAssets.ap" using 7-Zip. (You may need to remove the Read-Only attribute first.)
  
  9 ) Using 7-Zip navigate to the folder "Weather". Which is at the root level of the archive.
  
  10 ) Now within 7-Zip delete all of the weather blueprint files. Ie: All the files starting with "Scottish_". There are 64 .BIN files and .TGT files. Be sure you are doing this on the TS2014 copy you have made! Answer the 7-Zip prompts about removing the files.
  
  11 ) Finally within the TS2014 folder "\RailWorks\Assets\Thomson\FortWilliamMallaig" delete the "Weather" folder that we copied in earlier.

Steps 10 & 11 are important as we must not allow TS2014 to see any references to the SilverLining weather system. Failure to clean up these files in the .ap archive will cause TS2014 to crash in my experience.

Anyway, that's about it. After doing this I was successfully able to run the West Highland Line and its scenarios. There are some minor graphical glitches on some distant hills, but all in all it looks OK.

This won't be for everyone, but perhaps one or two might find it useful.
Cheers.

[holzroller]

Sounds good, will give it a go tonight.

[JustRight]

Ooops, sorry all, I forgot one step.

After extracting the RouteProperties.xml file into the TS2014 version of the route folder, open it with a good text editor.

Search for the following code block:

Code: Select all

	<WeatherBlueprint>
		<iBlueprintLibrary-cAbsoluteBlueprintID>
			<BlueprintSetID>
				<iBlueprintLibrary-cBlueprintSetID>
					<Provider d:type="cDeltaString">Thomson</Provider>
					<Product d:type="cDeltaString">FortWilliamMallaig</Product>
				</iBlueprintLibrary-cBlueprintSetID>
			</BlueprintSetID>
			<BlueprintID d:type="cDeltaString">Weather\Cloudy.xml</BlueprintID>
		</iBlueprintLibrary-cAbsoluteBlueprintID>
	</WeatherBlueprint>

Edit this to look like the following:

Code: Select all

	<WeatherBlueprint>
		<iBlueprintLibrary-cAbsoluteBlueprintID>
			<BlueprintSetID>
				<iBlueprintLibrary-cBlueprintSetID>
					<Provider d:type="cDeltaString">Kuju</Provider>
					<Product d:type="cDeltaString">RailSimulatorCore</Product>
				</iBlueprintLibrary-cBlueprintSetID>
			</BlueprintSetID>
			<BlueprintID d:type="cDeltaString">Weather\RW_Cloudy.xml</BlueprintID>
		</iBlueprintLibrary-cAbsoluteBlueprintID>
	</WeatherBlueprint>

Cheers, and Good Luck

[rcetank]

Thanks for this tip/info.
will be having a go later!

[growler37]

Hi, Thankyou for your work on this,when I get a chance I will try this,to be honest IMHO TS2014 is visually better than 2015 ATM,but will wait for the patched patch to appear before writing off TS2015 altogether.
Regards Kev

[scorpion71]

Good stuff. I take it similar procedures will be required in any future route releases for TS2015.

I can now bin off my skeleton copy of TS2015 and forget it ever appeared and enjoy future routes as they should be.

[deltic009]

Good stuff. I take it similar procedures will be required in any future route releases for TS2015.

I can now bin off my skeleton copy of TS2015 and forget it ever appeared and enjoy future routes as they should be.

Well, the West Highland Line was designed for TS2015, so that is how the route should be to be pedantic.

[Bradforth]

Hi all,
I also tried something similar to get WHR to run on TS 2014 with some success (all the scenario's worked ok), but after running some other routes/scenarios I found that on some of the other routes my PC locked up, Marsdonshire from JT was one of these, sorry can't remember the scenario. Just check some other routes carefully, I have now removed the WHR folders from my TS 2014 installation and all other routes are now ok.
I hope your method keeps working ok and it was me that made a mistake, please keep us all informed and I may have another try.

Regards,
Pete.

[JustRight]

Hi all,
I also tried something similar to get WHR to run on TS 2014 with some success (all the scenario's worked ok), but after running some other routes/scenarios I found that on some of the other routes my PC locked up, Marsdonshire from JT was one of these, sorry can't remember the scenario. Just check some other routes carefully, I have now removed the WHR folders from my TS 2014 installation and all other routes are now ok.
I hope your method keeps working ok and it was me that made a mistake, please keep us all informed and I may have another try.

Regards,
Pete.

Hi Pete,

Thanks for the warning. However I have just tried some others, Marsdonshire included, and all seem OK. One trick I always use is to not load scenarios for more than one route in one session. TS always seems rather fragile when loading up multiple routes in one session. Some very poor memory management there I suspect.

Cheers,
Trevor

[scorpion71]

Well, the West Highland Line was designed for TS2015, so that is how the route should be to be pedantic.

Yes, I know it was, however it's not the route(s) that is the problem, which I'm not going into as it's been discussed elsewhere before

[viamala]

@JustRight
Your tutorial may be also like:
• ) Finally - make an .AP patch file (zip file without compression) inside "FortWilliamMallaig" folder, containing folder "Weather" and all of the original weather blueprint files as name, but instead of the new 2015's 3D weather files, use 2014's files from "Kuju\\RailSimulatorCore", renaming them according to the Thomson's filenames. This will preserve the Quick Drive weather functionality. Additionally, you do not need to modify the original .AP file, so - verifying Steam's cache will not touch your modification. You may also add other filenames inside one universal patch (for "quick paste" in similar future tricks).

NOTE: If you are not familiar with game patching mechanisms, note only one thing: Loose files with the same folder and file name structure are read after the packed files, thus overriding the pack - this is your goal. If you decide to make IMHO this very handy universal patch as an .AP file, name the .AP file by a way which will sort it last inside the folder, where it will act - so the game engine will read it last for successful override (I suggest a filename like "zWeatherPatch.ap"). So far this works on TS2014.

Do not forget to delete the "blueprints.pak" file inside the folder where you have placed a patch or modified file, else the game may crash.

Have fun, have a drive with train

[viamala]

Addenda: Ignore and discard my post about the universal weather patch. It requires quite more efforts than I thought. Since I successfully did such a patch for loco blueprint (redirect to another loco), I thought here the trick will work too, but posted self-confident, then tested... . Unfortunately the patch files need "a little bit more programming work", so for non-advanced users- JustRight's method is the easiest one.

[drafter]

Help...............Please!

I would like to use this route in 2014 so I have been trying this great mod but I'm stuck.
I followed your points carefully 3 times now and no success. The route starts to boot up and then crashes to windows 7.

Here's where I am:

Of course copied all files into 2014 as asked, no problems.
Edited RouteProperties.xml as above outside ap, done.
Deleted all career scenarios after copy, modified copy set weather copy reference to kuju, etc , saved as std scenario.

Assets..........FortWilliamMallaigAssets.ap...I have deleted the complete weather folder inside the ap and the one
outside because now the scenario file references the kuju core, right?
In the weather folder 'All the files starting with "Scottish_". There are 64 .BIN files and .TGT files.
I found about 16 'Scottish.... but.' no .bin or .tgt files? There wasn't many left 3 or 4 files tg..... and they were also in kuju set???

Then picking a 'std' scenario, the route loads for quite a while, then bingo!
Can you give me any pointers, please?

Thank you in advance.....for any help.

[JustRight]

Help...............Please!

I would like to use this route in 2014 so I have been trying this great mod but I'm stuck.
I followed your points carefully 3 times now and no success. The route starts to boot up and then crashes to windows 7.

Here's where I am:

Of course copied all files into 2014 as asked, no problems.
Edited RouteProperties.xml as above outside ap, done.
Deleted all career scenarios after copy, modified copy set weather copy reference to kuju, etc , saved as std scenario.

Assets..........FortWilliamMallaigAssets.ap...I have deleted the complete weather folder inside the ap and the one
outside because now the scenario file references the kuju core, right?
In the weather folder 'All the files starting with "Scottish_". There are 64 .BIN files and .TGT files.
I found about 16 'Scottish.... but.' no .bin or .tgt files? There wasn't many left 3 or 4 files tg..... and they were also in kuju set???

Then picking a 'std' scenario, the route loads for quite a while, then bingo!
Can you give me any pointers, please?

Thank you in advance.....for any help.

Hi there mate,

Sorry to hear you are having trouble.

When I was originally mucking about with this I also go those crash to desktop occurrences. I eventually worked out that it was due to references in the various BIN files to the new SilverLining weather system.

In my case I only deleted the specifc 'Scottish' weather files, leaving the Weather folder and its other contents in place. I can only suggest that you re-copy the Assets .ap file and the using 7Zip delete only the files mentioned in the original post. Also, make certain that you have Read/Write authority to the .ap file and that it is not set to Read-Only.

Once I had cleaned up all references to the new weather system, in the Assets file and in all the scenarios and route definitions, the route ran just fine.

Beyond that I don't know what to suggest.

Good Luck.

[drafter]

Thanks for the tips and encouragement Justright.
It took me a few tries with that Weather folder and updating my 7zip to a more recent version but alas, it now loads and is operating fine in Ts2014.
I'm one happy camper, Thanks again.