Interesting development?

[TheCatOfWar]

Is that 'insider information' or just a guess?

The installer can't tell where the file it's installing has been downloaded from, all it knows how to do is extract and copy things to the right locations and dig up geos for them if applicable. Assuming the file it has to install is laid out in a remotely coherent way it will install just about anything out there.

Reskins…. we're looking at extracting a single .GeoPcDx file from a .ap archive, please don't try and make it seem like there's a difficult sequence of actions to perform.

Apologies, wasn't my intention to make it seem more difficult than it is, but it's never a particularly exciting thing to do especially if you're installing lots of things at once, and instructions forgetting things isn't unheard of either. Given the choice between a tool that does it all for me and going the manual route every time, I know I'd personally pick the former, but each to their own.

[smarty2]

The installer is not specific to content from Alan's site.

What does that mean? It data mines other sites for content?

[Devon91]

My line of thinking was that it only installed content from Alan's site,I'm sure I've heard him clarify that. If it can grab files from anywhere I'm not sure that's a positive way to go about things?

[SkylineBoy]

The installer can't tell where the file it's installing has been downloaded from, all it knows how to do is extract and copy things to the right locations and dig up geos for them if applicable. Assuming the file it has to install is laid out in a remotely coherent way it will install just about anything out there.

This needs to be expanded on more I think. Are you saying it takes the file from any site then unpacks and installs. Presumably a user never needs to visit one of these sites that are providing the content. If so you can bang on all you like about how easy it makes it for you but the simple fact is if this is happening without permission of the site then you will kill the site if you nick all of the traffic from it. Many of them only exist because people visit them.

Maybe that is the plan? If so then congratulations for killing the community because you couldn't be bothered to support them by visiting them downloading from them and copying a few files.

[smarty2]

Yeah, my fears too!

[749006]

I might be getting this wrong

To me the installed does it's job by installing what it has been given.
The installer itself does not download anything - that could be tested by simply unplugging the WWW when you use an installer.

I have downloaded third party assets and I store them on my Portable Hard Drive.
When I wish to use them on my laptop I plug in the drive and the Installer does it's job

Peter

There might be a different type of installer?

[SkylineBoy]

Possibly and maybe I have got the wrong end of the stick. If that is the case I am happy to apologise for my rant.

[smarty2]

Well whatever Peter, I still think this needs to be clarified!

[TheCatOfWar]

Well whatever Peter, I still think this needs to be clarified!

Yes!

Sorry guys I owe you all a fuller explanation. To use the tool, you download a file (manually, I'm not here to take anyone's traffic) and then you place the zip (or whatever format) in a certain folder. Then it appears in the list of items to install on the installer tool, and from there you can tell it to install that, just as 749006 says. In future it may be able to download stuff from Alan's site directly would be handy but requires more stuff to be set up on the website end. I guess this is 'insider' information if you want to call it that, but I can promise you this is legitimate info because I am the developer of the tool (and, coincidentally, the Leeds-York route from the original video).

Maybe that is the plan? If so then congratulations for killing the community because you couldn't be bothered to support them by visiting them downloading from them and copying a few files.

The intention would never be to kill any website or part of the community, just speed up and simplify the process of installing things.

Any other questions or concerns about any of this feel free to ask

[smarty2]

Well if that is the case and we still have to visit freeware sites to download the content then that is fine, It would help those sites in fact. So one assumes that all the relevant info on where to download required assets will be part of the software?

Erm what just happened? Where'd the CatofWar's post just go?

[TheCatOfWar]

Erm what just happened? Where'd the CatofWar's post just go?

Sorry, I edited it slightly to reword some parts for extra clarity, but looks like that means it's hidden entirely until a mod approves my edit.

Well if that is the case and we still have to visit freeware sites to download the content then that is fine, It would help those sites in fact.

Yep, it's not anyone's intention to make freeware sites go anywhere, only streamline/speed up the process of installing things from them.

So one assumes that all the relevant info on where to download required assets will be part of the software?

Currently the only requirements it will get will be those already in your TS install, for example geo files when you want to install a reskin. However, the idea of, like you say, installing a scenario and it listing all the required reskins' download pages (or alternately letting you substitute them for something you do have) is certainly a neat avenue I'd like to explore in the future, but I want to make sure the core feature of asset installing is up to scratch and as robust as possible before moving onto new features.

[749006]

I'm happy to download a route/asset/reskin from a location
My virus checker will tell me - sometimes a false positive - but it checks

I don't know if I am happy downloading an installer program to let it get the required item and install it.

Unless I have the wrong idea about how it will work?

[TheCatOfWar]

I'm happy to download a route/asset/reskin from a location
My virus checker will tell me - sometimes a false positive - but it checks

I don't know if I am happy downloading an installer program to let it get the required item and install it.

Unless I have the wrong idea about how it will work?

That's not currently the plan, no. It may be an option in future but currently as I say, you will do the downloading of the route/asset/reskin, place the zip/rwp in a specific folder, and then click an 'install' button in the installer program and it will do all the extracting, copying to the right location, find and copy any .Geo files from your install (NOT from the internet), and put those in the right place so everything works once you load up train sim.

[gptech]

I guess this is 'insider' information if you want to call it that, but I can promise you this is legitimate info because I am the developer of the tool (and, coincidentally, the Leeds-York route from the original video).

Wouldn't that have been a nicer/better/more informative way of introducing yourself rather than a seemingly vague claim about what/how a tool works? This whole venture has been thinly veiled with a cloud of semi-secrets and intimations of what it will be rather than described with honest statements--no wonder folk are getting suspicious/cagey about it.

[TheCatOfWar]

Wouldn't that have been a nicer/better/more informative way of introducing yourself rather than a seemingly vague claim about what/how a tool works? This whole venture has been thinly veiled with a cloud of semi-secrets and intimations of what it will be rather than described with honest statements--no wonder folk are getting suspicious/cagey about it.

You're completely right, I handled this poorly at first by being vague because I didn't want to stir by going into too many details but really had the opposite effect and caused people to arrive at the wrong conclusion, so I'm here to answer any questions you guys have. Ultimately I only want to help people and make things easier