YardMaster Release

[mikephfl]

I just uploaded the first release version of YardMaster. It should be available shortly in the library. Please be sure to read the Read Me and pdf document before running. There is a fair amount to know about how it works. Hope ya'll enjoy it. Please post comments, suggestions, and requests for help here on the forums. Hopefully the beta test team will help with any support issues.

[rdamurphy]

What does it do?

Robert

[buttercup]

https://www.trainsim.com/vbts/showthread.php?312000-YardMaster-Coming-Soon

[rdamurphy]

Thank you. Definitely going to have to try it out.

Robert

[geekman]

Thanks, Mike! I'll get it as soon as it shows up. It sounds great!

[PXSE]

I have downloaded it, but haven't given it the full workout yet.

Hopefully, for consist editing, we can now end this painful duopoly between a freeware french application and payware whiney central.

[conductorchris]

There is also route Riter which has the consist editor I've been (happily) using previously.

What Route_Riter doesn't have is Yardmaster's most excellent database feature that keeps track of cars by road name and car type.

Yardmaster's virtues are that it lets you look up cars by road name and car type (and a lot of other criteria, such as name of creator) rather than just file name or car name. The program divines that information based on what content creators have offered, which does invite a bit more work making the inevitable corrections (which you only need to do once).

I like Route_Riter's ability to show the picture of every car (thanks to it's harnessing of shape-viewer) and the pictorial view of the consist. Yardmaster does show car pictures (sometimes), but it sounds like Yardmaster's graphic functions are set to get a big upgrade in the next version.

Christopher

[mikephfl]

If you use Route Riter's excellent feature of creating jpgs for all your equipment then Yardmaster will display it without a problem. I do plan to add more use of the jpgs for the consist listing in a future version.

See instructions for that here: http://msts.steam4me.net/Route_Riter/making_thumb.html.


Also, beware of cars that are in folders of folders. YM seems to find them but you can't use them in a consist. I need to see if I can keep it from digging too deep. It would go 1000 folders deep if it kept finding folders. Too much of a good thing there.

It doesn't edit loose consists either. Not sure if I can get there or not, but I'd like too eventually. I'm also thinking of a doing for consists what I did for cars and engines and that is let you build a database of consists so you can sort consists by some type of data, not sure what that is so if there are suggestions, post them here.

Thanks.

[conductorchris]

Oh yes, I'd forgotten about that feature of Route_Riter. Thank you. I had meant to do it anyway - but got distracted with other things!

Cars within folders (beyond the TRAINSET folder) will cause errors in msts in my experience (with Windows 7). Best to avoid that.

Christopher

[mikephfl]

Here's a short video on how I quickly place loose consists around in an activity with YardMaster. It reuses the consist so if you want to save a consist for use in other activities you don't want to do it this way but it works for those 1 and 2 car consists in small industry sidings and spurs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei7uYNWZiks

[randycarnley]

Downloaded this new application today. I have been busy playing around with it all day, adding and updating all of my engines and cars. I've found that you can even personalize each of the drop down menus choices. I added my own reporting marks listing, car type and sub types. One function I would like to see in the future is the ability export equipment list to something like a word or excel document.

Again, thanks for a great addition.
Randy

[qballbandit]

Mike,
I have it unpacked, and started messing with it earlier this evening, overcoming the events I e-mailed you about.
Great little utility!

One question, does shuffling consists screw up using EOT's on a train?

[mikephfl]

Mike,
I have it unpacked, and started messing with it earlier this evening, overcoming the events I e-mailed you about.
Great little utility!

One question, does shuffling consists screw up using EOT's on a train?

It sure will!!! But I'll take that as an idea for future versions. I'll add a field to not if a car is an EOT and have the program make sure they stand on the ends of consists. Great idea! Thanks.

[mikephfl]

Why did I do this and not ask for money? This was an email I received last night about YM. Wasn't a bad email, the sender was just asking. Well, I've been using MSTS for almost 10 years now and if it wasn't for all the great addon content, I wouldn't have ever bothered after my first experience with the crap it shipped with.

I've downloaded 100's or even 1000's, 5556 according to my last count, cars and engines, payware repaints, some wonderful free routes (SAL, Saluda, Surfliner to name a few) and have enjoyed the fruits of labor of the payware vendors as well.

Train Store saved my life as I have too much to handle with large routes, AE crashed everytime without it. It's why YM attempts to work seamlessly with it.

Since I'm not an artist and never did figure out the intricacies of modeling or repainting and I'm not able to release my CSX route I thought this would be a good way to give back to the community from which I've been so fortunate from. Oh and I've been wanting something like this for a long time now. But I wanted to give back...finally... and I'll get more enjoyment and satisfaction this way then collecting $20 or so and having to provide real support . I hope to support it and ask that those who are being successful to post hints and help others here so I can concentrate on version 2.

So, thank you MSTS community from someone who finally was able to give payback.

[EricF]

I've just started playing with YardMaster for a little bit; I'll have more time on the weekend, I hope. Impressive! It's off to a great start.