Up Dated Tsection.DAT improves operation

[MSTS lifer]

Hi gang.

This may or may not be new info.

I was having a bitch of a time with headlights not working, a few glitches, and some outright freezing of the game.
My GLOBAL Tsection.DAT was old. Replaced it with the recent Tsection.DAT and what an Improvement.

Operation is now a whole lot smoother and headlights on engines now work.

Also, some routes will crash if the Tsection.DAT is a older version. Best advice is to update your GLOBAL Tsection.DAT to the latest version. Mine is the 44.

MSTS Lifer

[eric]

That's actually a potentially dangerous suggestion for users still using the original TSection on the default routes... it's harmless for anyone who has installed XTracks, Scalerail, etc. because they require the standardized version. Try doing that with an older route that hasn't had Horace run to update it, and you'll get some interesting results.

And the TSection has nothing to do with headlights or framerates. The only thing it does (which ultimately is critical) is tell the game engine how to build track vectors using the data from the TDB.

[baldwin]

There is no problem using an updated global Tsection.dat with default routes. The first track sections listed are the original KUJU sections, Sections 0-332 are original MS/KUJU sections. The only need to run Horace on a route built using the default tsection.dat is to bring the dynamic track in the local tsection and other linked files into line with the newer global standard if an individual desires to work on a default route using the standard tsection.

[Bananarama]

Try doing that with an older route that hasn't had Horace run to update it, and you'll get some interesting results.

I believe this is only an issue if you wish to edit an older non-Horaced route. Otherwise, default and older routes will work fine.

[eric]

Fair enough (and as a route builder, who *can't* resist from going in and tweaking those pre-standardized TSection artifacts?).

The point still stands that the TSection shouldn't have any effect on headlights or frame rates. All the heavy lifting required from it's presence is done during the route initialization

[muskokaandtahoe]

eric is correct in asserting the tsection is loaded before you see the game and almost completely correct that it makes no difference in performance. I say almost because you can strip out all sorts of unnecessary rows (e.g., if you have no routes from the UK you don't need ukfs track definitions in your tsection file) and in a few, probably rare instances, the extra ram obtained from using a highly trimmed tsection may make a difference. No panacea.

[R. Steele]

Question: hope this is appropriate thread.... I have tsection.dat build 00041 and all routes are working just fine -- should I install build 00044? The reason I ask is that on one route, two specific activities do not load, get numerous missing shape messages.....
SR_Town_2LStr_002m.s, ....010m.s; 050m.s;005m.s; SR_City_2LStr_010m.s; SR_Urban_SLDrv_010m.s- plus more. These are all ScaleRail track, correct? I have 3DTRAINS SCALERAIL PUBLIC BETA v1.77 File Date: 12.14.10 version of ScaleRail installed, PLUS NewRoads, XTracks, ScaleRoad, MSTS Bin 1.8.050112,Train_Update1.exe,all the proper tools updates,the great updates found on Steam4me, etc etc. , (System Info, if needed --: WinXP;Intel DH77EB Core i7-3770 93.4Ghz;4G RAM (MAX XP will allow); Dual GeForce GTX Ti 2G; 1T drive). I also did a search in MSTS (in the default install location) for the specific sections and all are missing. (Searched in GLOBAL\SHAPES). Is my problem some sort of syntax error (then why are the ".s" files missing) OR where can I get these sections of track, steal them from the SP yard in Roseville? Where should I post this if in wrong forum/thread?? Cordially R. Steele ps\MSTS runs great and looks superb on a 24" flatscreen, I just found the 2CD set while cleaning out, had bought it in 2002approx. and never used it, tried it on an old winXP machine, ran just ok, saw all the progress made in the intervening ten years, all the sites, and got the new machine and I am having a fine old time ... just thought I'd say... no particular reason. Cordially again (long winded son of a gun)

[R. Steele]

reply to myself "Core i7-3770 93.4Ghz" obviously I am not running a 93.4Ghz --- must be an alien core???

[baldwin]

Those missing items are actually ScaleRoads and installing Tsection 44 will not get you the missing files. I note you say you have ScaleRoads installed but it seems that it is either not installed, or is a version that does not have those shapes. Download again from 3DTrains. By the way, what route and activity is causing these errors.

[Bananarama]

Missing textures will cause a shape load error, regardless if the shapes are installed properly. What's needed are the road textures for the route. The author should have included these, but IIRC, there also should be a set in the Global\Shapes\ScaleRail folder.

[EricF]

Tsection 41 may actually cause subtle issues on routes created with Tsection 38 due to changes in clearance distances, in particular around some turnouts.

It wasn't well-understood until the UK community figured out that Tsection 42 continued and expanded those changes, and began breaking more UK routes in particular due to the affected track sections. TSection 44 returns those changed clearance values back to where they were in Tsection 38. Thus, Tsection 38 and Tsection 44 are the same except for the addition of new track sections that don't exist in Tesection 38.

With Tsection 41, the common problem is non-repsonsive signals which can affect player and AI movement, and signals that suddenly go red before your locomotive passes causing an activity to end. Use Tsection 38 or 44, and the problem will go away.

[R. Steele]

Monon-2. activities: Bloomington to K&IT Yard (Louisville) & Bloomington to Lafayette. Also on Monon to Michigan City Freight #48 I receive the following errors when attempting to load activity -- Failed to create SMS object; Error in Init Notebook opnotebook; and some widget errors. From the errors I assume some shape object is incorrect, the OPS Notebook has an error, and the Widgets??? This is definitely the wrong thread to address these issues. Thanks for the direction towards ScaleRoads --- will check on version/downlaod/re-install, whatever is necessary. Cordially R. Steele ps\??Should I install Tsection 44 just to keep current - 41 appears to be working just fine.

[R. Steele]

Those missing items are actually ScaleRoads and installing Tsection 44 will not get you the missing files. I note you say you have ScaleRoads installed but it seems that it is either not installed, or is a version that does not have those shapes. Download again from 3DTrains. By the way, what route and activity is causing these errors.

Thanks baldwin --- downloaded v1.77 ScaleRoad Public Beta and reinstalled --- problem solved on both activities. Now on to other problems, great thing about MSTS is all the fine software out there designed to check stuff, diagnose problems, open files, etc. Makes solving the problems much easier and also enjoyable ... plus fine folks like yourself and many others that lend a helping hand. Cheers
Cordially R. Steele