Increase loading time and lessen confusion

[kevarc]

Tired of MSTS taking a lonnnnnnnnngggggggg time to load? Don't feel like learning a 100 page manual to use a program? Well here is a little something for you.

This takes a little time to set up, but not as much as reading a 100 page manual.

Go into each route and create a folder in the activites, services, and traffic folders, I call mine holdem. (I like to play poker.) Now move all the files in the activity folder into the holdem one. Do that for each place you created a holdem folder in each route folder.

Now do that in the consist folder.

Then before I want to play an activity, I just move it back into the activity folder, run Route Riter or Route Control, move what you need back and off you go.

I like this for when I am creating activities, nothing worse than having to sort through a couple of hundred consists to get to the ones you want

[akajim]

Sounds like a good idea, Kevin; will have to give it a try. I am like you, don't like doing any more reading than I have to !!!

Ron K of Rockford

[MasterChief]

Ditto - just spent the past two days plowing thru those 100 pages trying to make it work, but with no luck.

I also decided on this method, although I store the whole route(s) I'm not using right now, just created a folder labelled Route Storage, and simply move the route in question to this folder to remove it from MSTM. When I want to use the route, I move it back, takes only seconds, and the frustration level is zero.

MC

[kevarc]

Yeah I looked at it, for about 10 seconds and then hit the delete key. IF you want to do a program like that, follow the KISS principle. He made that thing way over complicated.

[sniper297]

"MSTM", Master Chief?! "MicroSoft Train Mangler"?! Hee-hee, we coulda used you in the "sim or game" argument after Shawn incited a riot.
}>
:o :o :o

I dunno, Kev, still seems like too much work to me. As senile as I'm getting I can't remember whether I did it or not, but (I assume you're talking about Train Store) my first thought was sending the guy an email to suggest he uncomplicate the little beggar by having it store routes along with activities and the consists called for in those activities, and then selecting whatever consists you choose for "favorite explore route" consists.

Myself, I just made a backup folder in \Microsoft Games, and I cut and paste all but a half dozen or so routes out of the trainsim \Routes folder and keep them in storage, and don't bother with the consists.

I do need something tho, my youngest son is autistic, uses the geo extractor, route editor and activity editor to create hundreds of new routes, activities, and consists, but he's a clear and present danger when he tries to delete or move things with Windows Explorer! x( I'm currently looking at a maintenance job on his machine:

http://www.trainsim.com/dcforum/User_files/3f173b8a3ead3f73.jpg

And as usual I'm reluctant to even start. Note the additional taskbars on the top and left edge with trainsim files, that's a new one, gotta figure out how he did that before I can undo it.

So I fiddled with Train Store for a few minutes, but it struck me as "great idea, but needs work".

[derekmorton]

I don't see a problem. Its easy to use.

Store the routes you don't want to use, hit the go button.

You want to do any work, unstore all.

Derek

[MasterChief]

Yeah, my spelling is a little off...what happens when you have fat fingers! :-)

I was able to store routes OK, but found that with routes stored, so were all consists and rolling stock not directly associated with the routes left unstored. In reading the directions, there is supposedly a way to "unstore" stock and consists, but I'm not smart enough to make it work. With age comes less patience, I guess. Its just too hard. Easy to move the route folder in question, if I want to use it, move it back. All stock and consists are left alone.

MC

[dadbill]

Nothing new to me, I've been doing this with both the routes and consist folders. Especially when working on a project...

[kevarc]

I have been doing this way for a while also. Trainstore may be nice, but I ain;t going to wadw through 100 pages to figure it out. Just thought I would share this with those like me who couldn't get trainstore to work.

[heffed]

DEFAULT IS FOR DUMMIES <---- No longer valid.

I'm sorry, Train Store is amazingly easy to use. It takes all of 5 seconds to figure out.

[kevarc]

Wasn't for me, but then what I want from it and you want from it are two different things. I need to move things in and out on a daily basis. My method works for me.

Edit
Look it is a nice program, but for what I want it just is way over complicated. I have been using my method for a long time and it works for me and it very easy to use. It handles the folders I want it to and leaves the trainset folder alone. Creating activites means I need the trainset folder left alone. It may be easy to do, but I could not figure it out, so I will stick with what works for me.

[blattan]

Seems like an easy idea to implement. Is your Route Storage folder a subfolder of your Train Simulator folder just like the Route folder? And do you simply drag and drop the routes between the two folders?

Bert

[kevarc]

I have a holdem folder in the activity, services, traffic, and consists folder. You could put one in the routes folder and do it the same way, but if there are no activities in the activity folder, they are stashed in the holdem folder, MSTS doesn't delay the load. It appears to only drag when you have activites in the activity folder and it starts doing its checks on them.

[dgauci]

>Wasn't for me, but then what I want from it and you want
>from it are two different things. I need to move things in
>and out on a daily basis. My method works for me.

Fair enough. Whatever works for you, is best for you. For those other than Kevin, I fail to see what is so hard about Train-store.

Store a route:
Highlight a route, select the store route button, press the go button -- done.

Un-store a route:
Highlight a route, select the un-store route button, press the go button -- done.

That didn't take 100 pages of reading to figure out. But to each his own methods, no one method is the only right one.

[RevnJeff]

I guess I am confused. At first, I was wondering what 100 page manual was being talked about. Then I realized it must be referring to Train Store.

I guess I am too dumb to know any better, but I downloaded Train Store, opened it up and began playing with it. Since I only use 3 routes, I stored all the rest. It did increase how fast TRain Sim loads, but not a HUGE difference, maybe 30 seconds or so.

I didn't read the manual. I didn't read any help files. I just opened the program, and played with it for a few minutes. THen I stored the routes I don't use.

Am I too dumb to know that it's not supposed to be this easy? I guess I am.

Jeff

[robertreedy]

>Wasn't for me, but then what I want from it and you want
>from it are two different things. I need to move things in
>and out on a daily basis. My method works for me.

>Look it is a nice program, but for what I want it just is
>way over complicated. I have been using my method for a
>long time and it works for me and it very easy to use. It
>handles the folders I want it to and leaves the trainset
>folder alone. Creating activites means I need the trainset
>folder left alone. It may be easy to do, but I could not
>figure it out, so I will stick with what works for me.

Kevin, I agree with your theory 'if it works, don't mess with it' and am not trying to influence you or anything of the sort, but to add some for others who might be watching. It takes a few minutes of setting up initially, but by the use of 'scenarios' and lot numbers, I can have any setup ready within 2 or 3 clicks and about 30 seconds. Doing activities also (attempting to anyway), I have a default setup, a default setup plus my ADFRR equipment, a vNERR setup (Virtual North Eastern RR with 177 folders of equipment by itself) and a 'free for all' which allows me to have everything available .. all ready within less than 20 or 30 seconds.

Like I said, this is mostly for those who haven't found a good method yet to increase the speed of loading and help with their organization.

RobertR .. ADF-M&RM at http://www.adfrr.com

[DTA]

As a lot of others have already said, Trainstore is one of the easiest pieces of software to use. The extra bits are there if you want them, but are not reqired for the basics. Which are:

Click store, done. Click unstore done. Hardly rocket science!

David

[jvizoso]

I too use train store to lighten the load, but it IS a pain, on two counts... one .. it quite rightly stores away eng and wag files , but when I want to make up a consist you can bet the eng and wags are stored !... (it's ok I've figured out how to unstore all the stock) and it changes all the date stamps in the trainset so i can no longer tell the last installed items..(useful in case of msts meltdown)
Not that I'm having a whinge :-) Just joining the conversation. Sometimes simple is best .. like my guitar playing :-)
jv

[buttercup]

It's a simple process to add the consists and the rolling stock that you want to use in a particular route to the maintaince lists for that route. That way you only have the rolling stock available that you want to use in that route.

Regards

Eric

[TFormoso]

Hi jv,

Thanks for your report. I am puzzled by your report of the time stamps being changed. I have sent you a PM with a list of queries to try and help track it down. If you could send me the replies and any diagnostics via e-mail I will take a look at it.

I don't think the timestamps should be changed by Train Store processing. (in my testing (on Win ME) they haven't changed)

By the way, don't forget that the Lot Number assigned by Train Store (assuming you haven't changed it) will point you to the last installed items.

Thanks to Eric for his previous reply - it is a lot quicker following that rather than using 'Unstore Everything!'

Thanks


Tony

[rgarber]

I gotta do this kinda stuff when developing routes all the time and there's an even easier process. Using Windows Explorer, I just drag the whole route folder someplace else other than the ROUTES folder and you accomplish the same thing. When you want to return the route, just drag it back.

You can finesse this idea by making a folder in the root directory of the hard drive by calling it holdem or something and then drag the route there. The reason this works nice and clean is because you don't actually move the files but change the FAT table only. So there's no time at all except for the FAT table (kinda like the table of contents of your hard drive) to be rewritten which only takes a second or two.

Rich Garber

[lnghairedwizard]

Thats the way to do it Rich, put all your routes in a routes folder on desktop...drag the route you want to use into the msts routes folder and msts will load almost instantaneously!!!

Longhairedwizard

[rgarber]

Heya Bill, long time no see. :-) Did Queenie tell ya I called?

Rich G.