Mini Route and Open Rails

[NoslopTrainman]

I been doing some searching but can't come up with an answer.
I set up a Mini Route today with Route Riter using the tutorial from Steam4Me website.
When I open the Mini Route in Open Rails there is the screen is blank, like there is no route content installed?
The Mini Route name appears but none of the menu buttons have content to select.
I have using the browse button to set the path in Open Rails, but, I must not be doing that correctly.
It is like the Mini Route is "empty".
It all seemed to work well during the tutorial and nothing odd happened during that process, that I am aware of.
Any guidance would be sincerely appreciated.
I have been with this simulation since the beginning of MSTS in 2001.
I am currently using Open Rails.
Thank you.
Greg

[baldwin]

Have you checked that the miniroute actually contains a route with activities and there are also a trainset and consists folder present with content?.

[NoslopTrainman]

The path shown in Route Riter displays as
C:\_mini_WP3\Train Simulator Route=WP3

When I look in the folder it is not empty?

[NoslopTrainman]

I am starting over with Route Riter.
Surely something has gone wrong here.
Thanks!

[OTTODAD]

Can you run this MSTS-MINI route on your computer, which b.t.w. runs what version of Windows ?

If it does then pointing the ORTS Options \ Content to where it is it will also run it !

[geepster775]

This is one of those things where creating mini routes using Route Riter was really designed around the MSTS platform and it's nuances, and when applied to Open Rails, amounts to tons of procedural bloat. You can do it manually, only applying what's essential, a hell of alot quicker. All you have to do is conceptualize the basic file structure of what's needed. OR wasn't part of the game plan when Route Riter was written. Have the tutorials at Steam4Me really been updated all that much to reflect the new platform? Chalk it up to another instance where both the Route Riter and Steam4Me tutorial disciples might need to politely lay down their pom-poms and realize their favorite tools are a little outdated for those OR-only users in the new era.

[R. Steele]

Setting up mini-routes for OR is a simple task ... "geepster" mentioned the file structure which is:

GLOBAL (if you know how to use junction points this folder can be empty and linked to your main GLOBAL folder)
SOUND (if you know.....see above-- junction points alleviates the need to copy the GLOBAL or SOUND folders)
TRAINS (sub folders TRAINSET and CONSISTS)
ROUTES (sub folder of the route or routes you wish)
The above folders are placed within a folder named as you wish, in this case - WP3
(** if using RailDriver, place the ModernCalibration.rdm file within the WP3 folder)
That is it for OR. As OTTO said use the option/content to find the location.

THE ABOVE WILL NOT RUN IN MSTS, for that you will need the following - see screenshot:
I may have unneeded files included, but the folder structure is correct, and it includes "train.exe" for MSTS

bandicam 2016-07-09 14-05-07-060.jpg

[OTTODAD]

Silly question, Greg !

Why do you want to create a MSTS MINI route if you have MSTS installed on your computer which ORTS can use ?

You will have to use the MSTS Editor to create or modify any of its Activities used by ORTS !

[lateagain]

Baffled by ALL posts above!

I have ALL my routes "Mini Routed" using the Steam4Me utility. They all work fine in MSTS and.....

.....hey guess what?

They all work in OR like ANY other MSTS route opened through OR.

IMHO there's a load of red herrings posted above?

Run the Mini Route in MSTS (having error checked it with RR). No problem?

Then it should run in OR?

I've no magic wand for you but I'm interested in any arguments that contradict my post because maybe I just didn't hit that wall yet..... but I DO HAVE a LOT of Mini Routes

[R. Steele]

Baffled by ALL posts above!..... but I DO HAVE a LOT of Mini Routes

So do I...(see screenshot).
All the ones on C:\2TS are setup for MSTS (of course OR will run them) and the ones on the SSD drive F are purely OR.
That way I can use the MSTS editors (until I learn enough about the OR tools that are in development - Goku's RE and AE for instance) to work on the routes. Also having a pure OR setup on the F drive allows me to implement OR updates and improvements, such as the "include" parameter. Also allows experimental changes in the files that MSTS chokes on, but OR does not.

I simply outlined both methods for the original poster in case they were unfamiliar with the minimal folder setup for a pure OR running environment and also to illustrate how easy it is to put together a mini-route setup if one does not want to use RouteRiter.

There are certainly numerous ways to arrive at a working mini-route...but the truth is, the easiest for OR - if you do not wish to run in MSTS is the basic 4 folder (and sub-folder) method I explained.

So, in due respect to your aged grey whiskers, no red herrings, just information.

bandicam 2016-07-09 15-40-02-856.jpg bandicam 2016-07-09 15-40-43-222.jpg bandicam 2016-07-09 15-41-38-670.jpg

[R. Steele]

Baffled by ALL posts above!

That's perplexing, all the posts are Below on my screen. Amazing how people can arrange things differently.

[conductorchris]

I'm having a similar problem. Had me baffled. But then I took another careful look at the files and saw that the .trb file was missing. I am assuming it was an error in downloading that resulted in some missing files - I'm going to re-download it when I get the chance. But it doesn't sound like this is your issue.

Another problem I've had is that I set up the open rails link to the mini-route and then the drive letter changed. Once this was because I had mini-routes on an external hard drive (don't recommend that) and another time after getting a new computer. This meant the link open rails had was wrong and the behavior was the same as your issue. I just deleted that installation from open-rail's list and again added the mini-route in the content menu.

Christopher

[geepster775]

I think it's a fair assumption that people who have separated themselves from old MSTS and who have come to understand the basic file structure needed for OR ultimately come to the conclusion that all these old utilities and tutorials are really not all that relevant anymore going forward.

I also think its a fair assumption that the file structures laid out here are primarily for playing the sim, and are not for functions that require the editors. If you are someone who is competent enough to be using the editors, then you will likely have other locations on your hard drive for your "work zone". But then again, if you are capable enough to use the editors, then you are capable of setting up your parallel "work zone" as well as understanding the need for one. These people will know how to add ONLY the essential MSTS legacy components to get the editors to work.

I also think its a fair assumption that the 40% or so of the user base that, player-wise, still has not 'cut the cord' will still have a need for these tutorials and 'swiss army knife' utilities to do all the magical dirty work for them. But that user base is always going to shrink, never going to grow. At some point in time, all the "bleeding edgers" and "capable of tinkering" crowd will have left, and the only people left will be the less capable types. And man, are they going to get noisy when something breaks and nobody else is left in the room to help them problem solve.

[geepster775]

To create a mini-route template for Open Rails, create a folder and name it "MINI ROUTE TEMPLATE"

Inside that folder will be the 4 following sub-folders

GLOBAL - Copy this folder from your 1MSTS (the old MSTS Train Simulator folder)
ROUTES - create it manually, it will remain empty
SOUND - Copy this folder from your 1MSTS (the old MSTS Train Simulator folder)
TRAINS - create it manually, it will remain empty


Keep this in a safe place. This is the complete template needed to add any other new mini route.


When you buy a new payware route and need to establish a new Mini-Route folder structure for it,

step 1 - Copy the above Template

step 2 - Rename the copy of "MINI ROUTE TEMPLATE" into whatever name you want to give the mini-route, in this example, WP3

step 3 - execute the route's installer, pointing the install location to (whatever drive/whatever mini-route name you chose)

THAT'S IT.

As the route's installer runs,

It will add any unique track or roadway systems needed by the route into the GLOBAL folder
It will add any unique sound files needed for the route into the SOUND folder
It will populate the empty ROUTES folder with the route
It will populate the empty TRAINS folder with the relevant CONSISTS and TRAINSETS sub-folders.


Once you understand this basic structure, adding new mini route takes less key strokes than firing up route riter and drilling down in its menu system required the old way.

Literally a copy, rename, and execute (the route installer)

[geepster775]

They all work in OR like ANY other MSTS route opened through OR.

Interesting choice of words there. But please do note there is a distinction between opening MSTS routes in OR, and opening OR routes in OR.



This is what a typical mini-route folder looks like when it's an MSTS route that gets opened by OR









This is what a typical mini-route folder looks like when it's an OR route that gets opened by OR





See, only one of these needs the "help" of a Swiss Army Knife.