ASV Files

[charland]

Hi,

Is there a way to open a saved activity file (ASV). It says it can be opened using note pad but it appears to be in a machine language or compressed. I tried opening it with Polymaster to uncompress it but Polymaster isn't seeing the file.

I'd like to find a way of saving the last movements of one activity and using that file to create the next day's activity with the cars you spotted the day before still at the locations that you left them, they you just replace the cars at the interchange and start the next day from there.

Paul :-)

[slipperman]

Hi Paul.
As far as I am aware, the .asv files are merely binary versions of the same-named .act file and was used by MSTS in preference to the .act file. I think there's a little more to it than that, like if the .act file was modified, MSTS would read that and not the .asv file, but I have no proof. In the 'old days', reading a binary file was quicker than reading a text file!

See : https://www.trainsim.com/vbts/showth...-are-asv-files

I always delete any .asv files I find!! I don't think Open Rails reads them.

Cheers,
Ged

[charland]

Thanks Ged,

Now I have to figure out what OR reads when there is a saved game and how to open it!

Paul :-)

[charland]

So I set up a small activity. Ran it in OR, just an engine and three cars, spotted two cars, picked the third up and headed off. Pressed F2 and I can open that activity where I left off, so OR is saving something somewhere but I can't find it anywhere in the Open Rails folder. Anyone know what and where the saves in Open Rails are?

Paul :-)

[slipperman]

Hi Paul,
I think they may be here :
C:\Users\[yourname]\AppData\Roaming\Open Rails

However, I wish you luck in deciphering the .save files!!

Cheers,
Ged

[charland]

Thanks Ged, found them. Now to google ".save" files and see what opens them!

Paul :-)

[slipperman]

Hi Paul,
I don't think you'll have much luck there!
There are two types of .save files - one can be read by the Linux program GNU Nano and the other is a Sims 4 save file.
It's possible that 'ours' is a specific format which can only be opened by Open Rails. I am, of course, only surmising!!

Cheers,
Ged

[charland]

Hi Ged,

I can open it and change the name of the activity but the problem then becomes how do you convert that to an activity file from a .save.

I was able to open the file. At the top of the file you can see the name of the route, and activity name. Then you scroll down passed all the "yyyyyy"s and near the bottom you run into the rolling stock names. If you could just open it as an activity and change the player to where you started the original game (like at an engine facility), and alter the cars at left overnight at the interchange that would leave you with the cars you spotted during the last activity. But how would you convert this "save" to an activity to modify is the next problem.

Paul :-)

[slipperman]

Hi Paul,
The .save file is only a snapshot of the state of the activity at a particular time. I doubt if there's any way to recreate an activity from it.

You've found the rolling stock, but what do all the characters around each item mean? I suggest, probably its location, whether it's moving or static and numerous other parameters. You could, perhaps, replace one stock item with another of exactly the same dimensions and see if Open Rails will resume using that modified .save file - but you shouldn't hold your breath!!

Cheers,
Ged

[geepster775]

I'd like to find a way of saving the last movements of one activity and using that file to create the next day's activity with the cars you spotted the day before still at the locations that you left them, they you just replace the cars at the interchange and start the next day from there.

Not really sure what you seek is going to be possible. At least, not in the manner you think it might be. It may just be easier to reconstruct the day prior's setouts and car locations using features of TSRE instead.

ACT files which start the activity need to have some degree of 'starting compatibility' with MSTS, so OR can be capable of loading activities that were written for MSTS, but once it saves, it breaks away from that MSTS 'starting compatibility' and writes the save in a way that is most efficient for OR to continue on from. I dont think the format of a save can be regressed backwards into an MSTS compatible ACT file to start the next days work from.

From the sounds of things, what you want would be more suited as a week-long derivation of the timetable side of things. Timetables that are created have no MSTS ACT file compatibility requirements. I don't think timetable derivatives have been plotted out to the extent you seek.