Message length

[alanjturk]

Does anyone know whether it is possible in the MSTS Activity Editor to make messages longer than the 268 characters I find I am limited to?

[Coonskin]

If you're talking the "Display A Message" pop-up feature, no, there's no way that I have found.

The size of the available space for a pop up message is hard coded and can't be changed.

[eric]

Depends. I've been able to do descriptions and briefings that are >600 characters via direct editing in the .ACT file.

ORTS seems to have no problem with that.

If you can open the .ACT file using Notepad or a text editor and find where the popup "display a message" is defined, you might be able to edit that accordingly and save it.

[Der_Hans]

Depends. I've been able to do descriptions and briefings that are >600 characters via direct editing in the .ACT file.

ORTS seems to have no problem with that.

If you can open the .ACT file using Notepad or a text editor and find where the popup "display a message" is defined, you might be able to edit that accordingly and save it.

This is the method that I have used to put in longer messages. I typically mark the messages as "Message 1" "Message 2" etc when placing them in the MSTS activity builder. I then edit them in later on in the .ACT file with Notepad, and add in any ORTS code that I would like to run during the activity like weather ETC. Be sure to keep a copy of the file because the next time you open it with the activity builder, it will remove any/all ORTS code.

Honestly, with the proliferation of rolling stock not compatible with the MSTS consist editor, I'm also using the TSRE consist editor to build consists. I keep one at the top of my list that I edit on the go to make my static consists. Sadly, I can't seem to figure out, or find the time to figure out, the TSRE activity editor. The MSTS one has lots of faults but I can't find a working map/layout display in TSRE to help me visualize the paths and stuff!

[R. Steele]

... The MSTS one has lots of faults but I can't find a working map/layout display in TSRE to help me visualize the paths and stuff!

There is none, been suggested to Goku, but idea was not accepted...it's the one feature of the MSTS AE that I thought would be nice to have in the TSRE AE.

[Der_Hans]

It's too bad, as it's basically the only feature that TSRE is lacking.

I should be clear here: I am not a super regular MSTS/ORTS player, I'm not up to speed on the best ways to do all this stuff. Every couple months after a big turnaround project at work, sometimes I want to just sit down with some coffee and do something relaxing, and train sims are my go to for that.

When I do build an activity I find myself using both editors at the same time. Typically I use the TSRE consist editor because the MSTS one is terrible. I like being able to punch in a search for "BNSF SD40" and get an easy list of all the SD40s and variants that belong to BNSF to build a consist. As soon as I save it, I can open the drop down menu in MSTS to select it. I have a consist named with special characters to keep it at the top of my "place static consist" menu so I can easily build and add something.

What I do like about TSRE is how easy it is to view the 3D world and move around. When I'm building an activity I'll typically use that to help me place appropriate looking cars on the different tracks. To be perfectly honest, I usually don't have the slightest clue what type of car a railroad typically hauls to/from any given location, so I'll use TSRE to help make sure I'm not parking tanker cars along side a boxcar loading platform, or inter-modal cars where centerbeams of plywood would be more appropriate.