JT Official RS Expansion Pack - Installation and Merging - Part 1

[OTTODAD]

Having downloaded it during the night and then transfered it to my SIMS ONLY, no Internet, WIN-XP computer for a manual installation, I phoned Simon Martin to get a key for unlocking and installing it.

That done I ran it and was told by the installer that there is insufficient space on my drive C: to install it, although it's properties indicated that more than double to what the installer needs is available, no option being given to install it on another drive, something Just Flight/Trains are going to look into.

I am restricting the WIN O/S system drive partitions on all my computers to 10 Gb so that small NORTON GHOST IMAGES can be created taking only 5 minutes to do and restore, if necessary.

So I reduced the paging file for drive C: from 2 Gb to 1 Gb and the installer then proceeded to install it into the RS path as per the Registry.

However, I do not install anything MSTS or RS until I have checked what is about to hit my computer and this is what I do ! :)

Please note that doing it this way some of the following has to be done, not necessary when letting the RailSim_OfficialExpansionPack.exe install directly into the installed from DVD Rail Simulator folder !!!

But before I proceed I would like to say that this route is by far the best of what RS has to offer and anything not working as it should is more down to limitations in the RS code and not what it's creators did !

http://www.otto-wipfel.co.uk/rs/rs-merge-a.jpg (http://www.otto-wipfel.co.uk)

http://www.otto-wipfel.co.uk/rs/rs-merge-b.jpg (http://www.otto-wipfel.co.uk)

Here is the merged into one version of all I have of RS routes at the moment !

http://www.otto-wipfel.co.uk/rs/rs-merge-c.jpg (http://www.otto-wipfel.co.uk)

http://www.otto-wipfel.co.uk/rs/rs-merge-d.jpg (http://www.otto-wipfel.co.uk)

So how can I now make all the merged Assets available to all routes ?

By copying the additional Assets from the RailSimulatorUS folders into the default RailSimulator folders:

http://www.otto-wipfel.co.uk/rs/rs-merge-e.jpg (http://www.otto-wipfel.co.uk)

http://www.otto-wipfel.co.uk/rs/rs-merge-f.jpg (http://www.otto-wipfel.co.uk)

http://www.otto-wipfel.co.uk/rs/rs-merge-g.jpg (http://www.otto-wipfel.co.uk)

But that did not work with the Cajon route:

http://www.otto-wipfel.co.uk/rs/rs-merge-h.jpg (http://www.otto-wipfel.co.uk)

http://www.otto-wipfel.co.uk/rs/rs-merge-i.jpg (http://www.otto-wipfel.co.uk)

CONTINUED IN PART 2 !

O t t o

[SimUK]

Hi Ottodad,

Glad to have been able to assist you in unlocking your Download earlier today, and sorry for any problems you had getting to the stage of actually using the Official Expansion Pack.

However, you've said that the routes are being over-written by our product. We have since checked this since you telephoned earlier today, and it isn't happening on any of our test machines - other routes which are installed, aren't being removed, are still showing in the Routes list in Rail Simulator, and everything is working as intended. I wonder if possibly the more likely cause of the problem is actually your PC (and specifically your multiple installations) which is causing something to go wrong.

There should certainly be no need for anyone to follow the details that you have provided, as the installer should (and does) just install the files as required. I know you may be trying to help others with this information, but I feel it could risk confusing some people with talk of backing up folders and merging folders/files - it really isn't needed by the standard user who simply wants to install the pack and enjoy it. Of course though if you've got a personal preference for delving deep in to what gets installed, then go ahead :)

Hope you're enjoying the expansion.

Best wishes,

Simon
Just Trains

[Capt_Scarlet]

Otto, I am not sure if you are trying to achieve something else but if you wanted all the content to appear in a route you just need to select the content selection icon ( the little blue cube with the yellow arrow ), and in its properties window ( in the pull down list where it says developer ) select Kuju and put a tick in the one that doesn't have a tick.

In this case it would be "Rail Simulator" so you have a tick in both "Rail Simulator" and the "US Rail Simulator", then close that box and then you have all the content from both. You will be prompted to save to route ( when you exit ) so that this selection is kept. I believe you would need to do that on the other routes if you wanted the combined content in them.

This is the same thing you would do if you installed a new loco etc.

John

[OTTODAD]

However, you've said that the routes are being over-written by our product. We have since checked this since you telephoned earlier today, and it isn't happening on any of our test machines - other routes which are installed, aren't being removed, are still showing in the Routes list in Rail Simulator, and everything is working as intended.

Hi Simon !

I think you misunderstood !

Merging the RS-US Expansion Pack into the EU version overwrites the 3 UK routes folders. They are not being removed !

What the merging does is that it also overwrites the existing 3 UK routes scenario.bin files which contain a number of them, including the Free Roam one, with your scenario.bin files, which contain only 2 scenarios each and that is all you can then see in the RS scenario selections list for these 3 UK routes !

They need to be manually transfered from your scenario.bin files into the default ones !

O t t o

[OTTODAD]

Otto, I am not sure if you are trying to achieve something else but if you wanted all the content to appear in a route you just need to select the content selection icon ( the little blue cube with the yellow arrow ), and in its properties window ( in the pull down list where it says developer ) select Kuju and put a tick in the one that doesn't have a tick.

Clicking on that blue "Object Selection Filter" cube shows nothing in my RS.

When I am working on a route then what I want is to see is all the available rolling stock and tracks without having to click on anything other than the appropriate icons for them ! ;)

B.t.w., did you read my PM about Virtual-CDs ?

O t t o

[Capt_Scarlet]

Otto, when you say that the blue cube does nothing, I am talking about the the little blue cube below the big one, and when you click on that you have to move the cursor over to the right edge on the screen and the properties window should open. In that window should be the drop down selector for developers.


Sorry, I missed the pm, unfortunately nothing I tried would get it working ( maybe its a Vista thing )

John

BTW I installed the expansion pack and didn't lose any scenarios etc, so all is as it should be.

[OTTODAD]

Hi John !

I am talking about the the little blue cube below the big one, and when you click on that you have to move the cursor over to the right edge on the screen and the properties window should open. In that window should be the drop down selector for developers.

Yes, that's the one I clicked on but not using it normally forgot about it's pull-out window on the right until Jim mentioned it just now ! :(

BTW I installed the expansion pack and didn't lose any scenarios etc, so all is as it should be.

Did you install the pack into your EU-RS Train Simulator folder ?

Have a look into any of the 3 UK routes and tell me how many scenarios you can see in each, including their Free Roam ones ?

O t t o

[Capt_Scarlet]

Hi John !



Yes, that's the one I clicked on but not using it normally forgot about it's pull-out window on the right until Jim mentioned it just now ! :(



Did you install the pack into your EU-RS Train Simulator folder ?

Have a look into any of the 3 UK routes and tell me how many scenarios you can see in each, including their Free Roam ones ?

O t t o

I had to do a manual install with package manager ( because I have Vista 64bit ) and installed it to my EU-RS. I have all the default scenarios and the few extra ones that I have installed since I set it up on this OS.

John

Newcastle =11
Bath =8
Oxford =11
Hagen = 15
Cajon = 13

[OTTODAD]

Hi John !

I had to do a manual install with package manager ( because I have Vista 64bit ) and installed it to my EU-RS. I have all the default scenarios and the few extra ones that I have installed since I set it up on this OS.

I am confused ! :confused:

The JT Expansion Pack installs by default into your installed from DVD Rail Simulator, unless you know a few tricks to have it do otherwise ! ;)

Are you saying that you the Expansion Pack installer could not do that under VISTA ?

After merging the Expansion Pack folders into my EU-RS I had to manually copy it's 3 UK routes scenario.bin files contents into the 3 UK default routes scenario.bin files so that they show in the now GLOBAL RS scenarios lists, like in the Bath route shown below !

O t t o

http://forums.flightsim.com/vbts/attachment.php?attachmentid=2061&stc=1&d=1204672476

[Capt_Scarlet]

Hi John !



I am confused ! :confused:

The JT Expansion Pack installs by default into your installed from DVD Rail Simulator, unless you know a few tricks to have it do otherwise ! ;)

Are you saying that you the Expansion Pack installer could not do that under VISTA ?

After merging the Expansion Pack folders into my EU-RS I had to manually copy it's 3 UK routes scenario.bin files contents into the 3 UK default routes scenario.bin files so that they show in the now GLOBAL RS scenarios lists, like in the Bath route shown below !

O t t o



The JT Expansion Pack installer works ok but the package manager ( which is called during the install process ) at the moment wont do a automatic/silent install in Vista 64bit (only) and therefore fails on each .rpk file.
So yes thanks to another users tip I was able to install it by another method. JT are working on a better solution for 64bit users as are RSDL, because at the moment we cant install any .rpk automatically ( it can only be done by starting package manager and pointing it at the .rpk file and then telling it where RS is installed ).

It seems you are creating a lot more work for yourself with this merging process but that up to you and the way you want to do things I suppose. You should be careful though, as Jim said, the way you are doing it could open you up to more unforeseen problems down the track (:p) which might make it harder to diagnose.

John

[OTTODAD]

Hi John !

It seems you are creating a lot more work for yourself with this merging process but that up to you and the way you want to do things I suppose. You should be careful though, as Jim said, the way you are doing it could open you up to more unforeseen problems down the track (:p) which might make it harder to diagnose.

Yes, it was more work, but doing it learned a lot about how RS does whatever, which was just as well, because trying to install the Expansion Pack again it appears that I would have to phone Simon for another unlocking key to install it, having to reset my paging file again so that there is enough free space on drive C:, wasting his and my time !

Now that I have a copy of what has been installed into it's own Rail Simulator-US folder, I can use it to manually install it again should that be necessary, hopefully never. ;)

Shall however buy the DVD too later this month, so that it can be installed again if necessary. But will have to check with Simon whether installing from DVD still requires a unlocking key !

Found that having all Assets listed in all routes I am working on still have to use the Objects Set Filter to be able to place a listed in the pull-out US loco into a UK route, although it shows in the list, but not when working in the Cajon where all merged rolling stock can be selected and placed.

Then I realized that once the Objects Set Filter has been set to allow the use of various types of rolling stock it then gets saved with the route and from then all set rolling stock types can be used, as is the case with the Cajon.

Learned something else again. ;)

Working in a scenario and exiting to drive it the weather still changes to SNOW ! Does exiting one of your worked on scenarios do that too when going back to driving it ?

Using a UK high-speed loco for an end-to-end sightseeing tour of the route, it derailed in a curve. I thought that was to have been eliminated with the update/patch ?

Using a player pathed scenario all the Cajon's vast freight yards are inaccessible again and can be used only in Free Roam scenarios, short pathed freestyle scenarios still not allowing automatic switches to be thrown !

Apologies for using a UK loco in a US route, it has a better out of the driver cab view, ;) but testing a new short player path scenario, this happened again:

http://forums.flightsim.com/vbts/attachment.php?attachmentid=2064&stc=1&d=1204718764

http://forums.flightsim.com/vbts/attachment.php?attachmentid=2065&stc=1&d=1204718764

http://forums.flightsim.com/vbts/attachment.php?attachmentid=2066&stc=1&d=1204718764

http://forums.flightsim.com/vbts/attachment.php?attachmentid=2067&stc=1&d=1204718764

http://forums.flightsim.com/vbts/attachment.php?attachmentid=2068&stc=1&d=1204719713

All this severely restricts the usability of routes running all but Free Roam scenarios ! :(

O t t o