NS Pocahontas (Pokey 2.0)

[kennyeaton]

Good evening, all,

I am in the final stages of finishing up a rework of Austin Yoder's NS Pocahontas District. I finished up the winter terrtex today and now I'm going back through the route to make sure that all the summer/winter tiles match. Once this is finished, I'm going to add a little more vegetation to the route. Hopefully I can get this uploaded to the library soon.

Now, for the potential problem I may have. Once I finished the winter terrtex's and put them into the route, the folder size for Pokey 2.0 is 9.1gb. My question here is, once I'm totally finished with this route, how can I reduce the size? I don't know anything about compressing files in the route or if it can even be done. I thought I noticed something in route riter that would remove any unused shapes, but I can't seem to find that feature again.

Any input on reducing the size of this would be appreciated. Oh, before I forget, I don't know anything about signals. This route uses N&W CPL's. A few signals display wrong. An example of this is Advance Approach aspect. This should display two diagonal yellow lights over two diagonal yellow lights. The display I'm getting is two green clear on top and the same position on the bottom in yellow. I'm sure someone knows how to fix these.

Thanks for the help.

Kenny

[scottb613]

Hi Kenny,

Yeah - TSRE doesn't compress the TERRTEX or add mipmaps.

I use NVidia's NVDXT (command line graphics tool) to convert, compress, and add mipmaps to all my TERRTEX when I'm done working on them. You don't want to compress the TERRTEX until after you are fully done with editing - because with compression - there is loss. NVDXT saves them as DDS and I use DXT1 compression. Then delete the ACE files from the upload once finished converting - leaving only the compressed DDS.

An example of how to use NVDXT:

NVDXT.exe -box -dxt1c -file "${File}"

You could make a BAT file to process entire directories pretty easily.

https://developer.nvidia.com/legacy-texture-tools

Regards,
Scott

[FireEngine]

Will the current activities that are with the route work with your version or are you releasing activities for your version?

[qballbandit]

I still compress terrtex files with Route Riter whenever I add painting, etc. on a route.

[Orbita]

Will the current activities that are with the route work with your version or are you releasing activities for your version?

If the track database hasn't changed at all from the previous version, the activities should still work. But we don't know if this route in question has the TDB changed.

[kennyeaton]

Hi Scott,

I clicked on the link but when I went to download I got the 404 page not found.

Kenny

[kennyeaton]

Will the current activities that are with the route work with your version or are you releasing activities for your version?

When this one is ready to go, I'm not going to include the activities. Too much payware and way too many downloads to make them work. Though I will leave all the paths in there.

Kenny

[kennyeaton]

If the track database hasn't changed at all from the previous version, the activities should still work. But we don't know if this route in question has the TDB changed.

The track database will not change but the activities are going to be removed.

Kenny

[kennyeaton]

I still compress terrtex files with Route Riter whenever I add painting, etc. on a route.

This is what I'll probably do. When I get to that point, I may need a little help going through the route riter process.

Kenny

[geepster775]

Always keep a safe copy of the route in the original uncompressed stage as the starting point for any future modifications of expansions. And have a private way to get that copy to any other user who asks for it and may want to re-work the route to add any long-missing industry tracks or undertake other era-related changes that may alter the TDB and break existing activities and paths. At least that person starts with a pure copy..

[shadowmane]

Maybe when you finish the Pokey, you can tackle the Clinch Valley route that completes the Pocahontas District. I can't wait for this one to come out.

[kennyeaton]

Maybe when you finish the Pokey, you can tackle the Clinch Valley route that completes the Pocahontas District. I can't wait for this one to come out.

Hi Shadowmane,

This one is going to take a bit to finish.If you have the Pokey now, when finished, this one will have forest from the top of the mountains almost to the tracks. The one thing that erked me about this route was the terrtex with grass halfway up the hill's. The winter terrtex will not be solid white. If you have downloaded the Knoxville Corbin route by Jerry Sullivan that I updated, the same winter terrtex is used in the Pokey.

Here are a few photos of what I have finished starting at Chattaroy through Williamson.

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2024-04-07 06-41-18.jpg

2024-04-07 06-41-37.jpg

2024-04-07 06-41-43.jpg

2024-04-07 06-42-03.jpg

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2024-04-07 06-42-38.jpg

[shadowmane]

Sweet. I just downloaded Pokey 1.0 in anticipation of this one. I hear there is an update for it with x-tracks, but I don't know where to find it. Is it worth getting the Hawk update or is that moving backwards?

[jasonjedi1]

Very nice work! Ive had this route for years sitting unused. Always wondered to myself how many of the coal branches that were modeled in it are actually still in service anymore. Regardless. Cant wait for the update!

[shadowmane]

I didn't realize just how huge this route was. It's enormous. Whoever made the Clinch Valley Route seems to have taken the Bluefield Yard and from Pokey, deleted everything above that line, and woked with only the Clinch Valley Division. If that were incorporated into this, it would make it bigger, but it won't be adding much in the scheme of things considering what's there already.